Making decisions and organizing steps of action based on a logical analysis of the risks and benefits is called critical thinking. By teaching him to use critical thinking, you will enable him to use the power of rational thought to help him through tough situations for the rest of his life.

Why Critical Thinking?

Your son will be faced with many decisions in his life. Some decisions are easy enough and do not require much thought. Other decisions are life changing, and it is these that require critical thinking skills. Teaching your son how to gather information and analyze it carefully will help him cope in high-pressure situations.

Critical thinking encompasses several vital steps:

• Observing an issue or determining a problem

• Asking questions and gathering facts about the issue

• Using the facts to draw conclusions and form options for dealing with an issue

• Using logic to assess the options and make arguments for or against each option

• Reaching a decision

These steps will help him in making any decision, big or small. Consider writing them down for your son or helping explain them in a way that makes sense to him.

Incorporating Critical Thinking

Once your son has the basics of the steps for critical thinking in his head, he has to put them into play. It is probably a good idea to spend some time role-playing with made-up situations and running through the steps with him. You can start by doing this together. Then you need to step back and let him tackle a couple of problems himself.

One of the best ways to teach these steps to your son is to talk to him about real-life situations as they come up. Invite him to help you work through a real problem using the critical thinking steps. As he comes up with issues in his life, remind him of the steps and let him know that you are always available to help him.