In life sometimes we have to make decisions or choices that family or society expect us to make, but those choices may not fit in with our own wants and needs.
It also depends on what children learn. If parents don’t guide their children in a way that helps them make the right choices moving forward, it may not happen for them as adults. The right guidance is important if children are to inherit the right tools, helping them through their adolescent years and beyond.
The benefits of choice
The benefits of giving children choices far outweigh telling them what choices they should make. When children make choices, they problem solve, they build self-esteem. Through their choices they become independent individuals who should want to hold themselves accountable. When children have choices, they're more likely to feel less afraid.
Children making choices, allows them to take control and gives them empowerment knowing the choices they make are their choices to make. Life revolves around the choices we make. When we make choices, we take ownership of those choices.
Unfortunately, with choices often comes sacrifice, particularly when we need to make one choice over another, but settling on a choice makes that choice right for us. Even if that choice feels wrong initially, it usually turns out to be the right choice.
Most of the troubles I have now stem from the fact that I wasn't really allowed to have a lot of choices as a child. I've never really known what it is like to make decisions based on what would make me happy.
Now is the time to change all this, but it's hard to defeat a pattern that was embedded when I was a child. I'm just praying that when the time comes, I can change what needs to be changed for my own peace of mind.
Randy, I was the same as you in my childhood. All my decisions were made for me.
The pattern will only change with you. Hope that will be soon. Thanks for posting.
I guess as a child I was lucky and my parents guided me towards my better choices, but what choices I made were mine, for my own good or bad.
Later in life I believe my choices turned into decisions and at that stage I didn't have a full range of decisions because of my CP and its limitations on me physically. If those limitations weren't there I would have had a thriving furniture building business by now and had more of a comfortable lifestyle.
I don't disagree with you at all Ilana, as what you have said is quite true, but the limitations on our lives sometimes narrows our choices and decisions quite dramatically because of our CP and whatever we have to deal with.
Of course Mike, but the limitations you talk about don't always come from our upbringing, as you have proved with your parents, as your parents were very supportive of you.
I believe the limitations of what we deal with come from society as a whole. If we applied for a job along side someone without CP, that other person would get the job. Disability reduces or limits our choices.
Acceptance of what we deal with is still not accepted in society, even if we are accepting of it ourselves.
I don't remember what choices I made as a child or even if I even made them. I agree with you though. I think children should learn early to make choices on their own or with a little help from an adult. It will give them self-esteem and confidence.
Agreed Lisa.