It can be hard for children nowadays to note how actions have consequences. This can be a tricky concept to teach any child of any age, but it is also a vital, important task to ensure your child is aware of their actions and how it can affect others.
Kids Not Understanding
It can be especially difficult to show your kids what can happen when something doesn’t go well, or if they didn’t think through how their actions would affect other people. They may see videos online and hear stories from classmates about people doing pranks or getting into sticky situations, and want to follow suit. Many stars on social media will do crazy antics, much at the dismay of general workers in fast food or grocery stores, and may not get into trouble. Or at the very least, not show how their actions affected the store and workers they were pranking or annoying.
Pranks Gone Wrong
Now, most kids aren’t going to go out and do the exact same stunts they see others do online, but they may pick something similar, or simply make rather unwell decisions. They may not be fully aware of how these actions will play out, and thus not realize how this is going to impact them, or others around them. We all remember being young and doing stupid things, and how it can affect our parents, friends, even strangers. But a lot of pranks nowadays are even more complicated than what we were doing when we were younger, and the consequences could be even bigger.
Good and Bad
What you want to make sure your children understand is that they shouldn’t always be making choices quickly or foolishly, and to try and give yourself time to think of the potential consequences. Kids’ brains are continually developing, even into their teens, so even if they are trying to think through everything as much as they can, they may still be missing the point or missing something big that can impact others. Try to distill in them a sense of empathy, or to look at it through another person’s eyes for any possible insight into what they are about to do. This may help them realize how silly their upcoming action would have been, and may even avoid it. It’s not always easy teaching kids the reality of the world and how their actions can have direct consequences, but it’s super important for them to start learning as soon as possible.
Katie Kyzivat