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Common Sense Builder
Sharing Experiences“I just have to have those shoes. I can´t live without them.” That´s your sweet child talking. While asking for those shoes demonstrates your child´s motivation, it doesn´t say much for common sense. How do you talk common sense to your child? One way that doesn´t seem to work well these days is to recall how it was when you were a kid. That´s when your parents went to the store and bought the most sensibly priced brand, and it all worked out fine. The pressure on your kids to have what their friends have is overwhelming. How can they help preserve the family budget and get some common sense at the same time? Children have this chance when they get the opportunity to talk to you, not about the old days, but about today and the pressures you experience. Sparking the ConversationWhat are you as an adult under pressure to do? What do you say to yourself? What advice do your kids have for you? Can they see some of the same pressures they face in the pressures you face as an adult? Encourage them to name some of the pressures they have just as you have named some of yours. You may find that your children have some good advice for you and for themselves. Common Sense Builder: Newspaper ActivityShopping for almost anything is an experience in reading and common sense. Read the ads, talk about them, compare the costs and value. Hobbies such as gardening, painting, sports, etc., all lend themselves to research and to use common sense daily. Pick something to shop for in the ads, start clipping and comparing the different prices and different features. Price alone may not be the best determiner. You really have to use your common sense. Moving to Bigger QuestionsTo a great extent, being like everybody else is a form of security, and everybody likes to feel secure. Questions like these can help your children get a better sense of the pressures they face: Who sets the fashions? Who tells us what to buy? When we hear product claims, are they always true? Can we each remember a time when we used our common sense? Can we remember a time when we didn´t do what everybody else did, and it turned out all right? Sometimes it can turn out even better. © Dorothy Rich, 2000. The nonprofit Home and School Institute, sponsor of the MegaSkills program, was founded by Dr. Dorothy Rich in 1964. For information about bringing MegaSkills books and programs to your school and community group, contact: The Home and School Insitute, MegaSkills Education Center; 1500 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC 20005. Phone: (202) 466-3633. Fax: (202) 833-1400. www.MegaSkillsHSI.org Reprinted with permission. Intro | Newspaper Tips | NIE & You | Activities | MegaSkills | |||||
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