G : How does your family make important
decisions? Do children have any say in making
these decisions, or do parents simply tell them
what to do? There are several different methods
for making family decisions.
One method is to have a vote. Each family
member writes his or her own choice on a piece
of paper. With this method, each person gets
equal say in the issue being decided. What if the
vote is a tie? You should think of an idea to
break a tie before you vote.
A second method is to give older children
special privileges. If you’re moving into a new
home, for instance, the oldest child might get
first choice of bedrooms.
A third method is to take turns making the
decisions. Suppose a family goes on vacation
together each year. One year they might let their
daughter decide where they should go. The next
year, the choice goes to the son.
A fourth method is to let the head of the
household decide what is best. That is the way we
do it in my family. The head of our household,
my father, listens to all our opinions. Then he
makes a decision. We agree to follow his decision,
even if we don’t like it.
Making family decisions is not always easy.
The important thing is to choose a method that
everyone agrees on. That could cause a problem,
however. Which method should you use to decide
which method to choose for making decisions?