Face it—as you get older, you have more decisions to make. That can be a good thing, but it can also be tough at times. It’s important to think about what’s important to you and then look at your options and the possible consequences for each option before you make a decision.
Review the decision-making steps below. Then, check out the situations on the new few pages. For each situation, think about the choices and consequences and then decide what you would do.
1) Situation: Why do you need to make a decision?
2) Goals: What do you want to happen?
3) Choices: What are your options or alternatives?
4) Consequences: What could happen?
5) Decision: What will you do?
6) Think about it: Did you make the right decision?
You and four friends are at the park. You’re sitting in the middle. One of your friends pulls out a pouch of smokeless tobacco, puts some in his mouth, and then passes the pouch along. In turn, each of your other friends takes some tobacco. You don’t want any. How do you handle this?
Goals:
Choices:
Consequences:
Decision:
You’re hanging out at a friend’s house one evening, and no parents are around. There are about six or seven of you there. The friend’s older sister offers to buy beer for you, but only if everyone wants to do it. One by one your friends say "yes," but you don’t want to. What do you do?
Goals:
Choices:
Consequences:
Decision:
A bunch of friends are going out after school for pizza. You really want to join them, but you promised yourself you would head home immediately after school to study for tomorrow’s exam. What do you do?
Goals:
Choices:
Consequences:
Decision:
There is a new student at school no one seems to like very much. The attitude among your friends is, "The guy’s a loser, and anyone who hangs out with him is, too," but you’re not so sure. A little while back you happened to be sitting with him on the bus, and you found him to have a good sense of humor. Do you try to befriend him?
Goals:
Choices:
Consequences:
Decision:
Your cousin is visiting from out of town. It’s Saturday and your friends are headed to the mall to hang out, but your cousin has already said she would like to go to the local museum. What do you do?
Goals:
Choices:
Consequences:
Decision: