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Kids do dumb things

Kids do dumb things

We wish we could say the premises of this video is something that we just came up with and not based on actual events. It’s not. We *may* know someone who once used a toilet brush at a party.

Teenagers, it seems, are constantly doing rather dumb things. There’s a reason for that. Teenagers brains aren’t completely developed which means their decisions are often lead by emotion instead of rational thinking. Good news. Most will eventually grow out of this. In the meantime, there are things you can do help your child better think through their decisions—mostly, so they don’t end up using a dirty toilet brush. All you need is the magic of the SODAS Method.

LEARN: SKILL OF DECISION MAKING (SODAS METHOD)

Why is SODAS Method magic?

First, the SODAS Method helps your children to see the outcomes of their decisions before they make them.

Second, the SODAS Method shows them they have multiple ways to respond to a situation.

If your child is like most teenagers, they have a hard time seeing how A leads to B—especially in the heat of the moment. The more your child can see the outcomes of decisions, the more likely they are to make better decisions. They’re teenagers so we can’t hope for good decisions all the time, but we can hope for good decisions most of the time.

SODAS Method is easy to use

Your children are most likely already using parts of the SODAS Method to make decision. What makes the SODAS Method powerful is when they are using all the pieces together. All they need to do is remember SODAS: Situation, Options, Disadvantages, Advantages, and Solution.

First, your child needs to define the Situation. Whether it’s, “do I get an after school job,” to “how do I deal with peer pressure at school”?

Once the situation has been defined, you child moves onto Options. In this step, you child comes up with 3 responses for the problem they need solving. It’s easy for children for come up with one or two options, it’s the 3rd option that hard for most kids to come up with. It’s usually the third option that isn’t ruled by emotion and is often the most logical choice.

For each option, your child comes needs to come up with Disadvantages and Advantages for each of their options. Encourage them to think of as many Disadvantages and Advantages, both small and large, as they can.

When they’ve come up with Options and through through all the Disadvantages and Advantages, it’s time to come up with a Solution. The Solution can be one of the Options or a combination of both.

Don’t forget to download our SODAS Worksheet and our SODAS Step Worksheet

WATCH: PARENT TESTIOMONIAL