The 2003 remake of the movie Freaky Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan has been a family favorite for several years now. The movie begins with the typical crazy morning rush to get the family out the door and off to school and work. As the mom is dropping off her teenage daughter at school, she calls out the window after her, “Make good choices!” The daughter sighs and rolls her eyes as she is walking towards the building.
After we had seen this movie for the first time, I would often say this phrase to my girls (sort of in a teasing manner) when dropping them off at school. One day they turned the tables on me and called out “Make good choices, Mom!” as they walked away from the car. Classic parenting moment!
Even though we were having fun quoting a movie, it was important to me that they understand the power of their choices and the resulting consequences. Teaching this concept really requires an on-going conversation that begins when kids are really young. Most of us do this without really thinking about it. “Don’t touch the stove- it’s hot and you will get burned.” “Be careful when crossing the street, or you will get hit by a car.” “Stay with me while we’re in the mall, or you will get lost.”
We also teach this concept through the process of discipline. Obedience brings a reward, but disobedience brings a negative consequence. We encourage our kids to make good choices so they will avoid unwanted consequences. Some choices are short-lived in their impact, while others have longer-lasting, more serious (sometimes life-changing) consequences. For example, choosing to not clean your room carries different consequences than choosing to text while driving and having an accident that injures or even kills someone.
A critical part of this discussion with our children needs to focus on the idea that our choices affect other people, not just us. A great way to illustrate this is by playing a game of checkers. The first player’s move (choice) on the board influences the move (choice) that the second player will make. As the game continues, the players often fall victim to unwanted consequences as a result of each other’s moves (choices). Recognizing the potential impact of their choices will hopefully help our kids make better decisions.
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” ~Deuteronomy 30:19
Let’s give our children the tools they need to make life-giving choices!
This is funny…Ty and I have been saying "make good choices" to the girls for years. Did it come from the movie? I don't remember. But, I remember the first time they said it to me and I realized that it was something they would have echoing in the back of their head for years to come. Make good choices…easy to say…not always easy to do. But if you have your mother's voice in the back of your head saying it, it just might happen. 🙂
I'm still guided by my mother's voice in the back of my head:)