(inspiring music) - So responsible decision-making really relies on all of the other social emotional learning competencies.

We have to really be self-aware and be able to manage our emotions, as well as understand how our behaviors impact others.

We need to have that social awareness and understand our relationship with others in order to make responsible decisions that are good for ourselves as well as for our whole community.

- I feel like everything else is all the ingredients and the responsible decision-making is that icing on the cake.

It kind of brings it all together.

And if we don't have all of those skills, we're not able to always make responsible decisions.

- Responsible decision-making means being able to think through the details of any situation and respond appropriately.

Being able to take responsibility or to show responsibility is a gift and there are so many ways that that manifests in our world and in our day-to-day activities and actions.

But I think children in particular, I don't know that they're reminded often enough that they too can be responsible decision-makers.

(inspiring music) - Some activities that a smaller person could do at home to practice responsible decision-making could be to have special jobs or special chores around the house or they would be the one who sets the dinner table every night or their job might be to clear the dinner table.

- One thing that's great to do is teach kids to make a list of pros and cons when they're faced with a decision so they can really weigh their options and see what are safe choices.

It's also important as kids grow that we give them a little bit more freedom to make those decisions.

- As parents, we often want to really limit the choices that our children have.

We can do it quicker and faster.

So we don't necessarily allow them to experience as much trial and error as is helpful to grow and to figure out the right things to do and the best ways to do them.

So that's one way -- create space and opportunity for them to make decisions but give them choices and trust them to give it a go and support them as they make choices that may be different than the way you would have done it.

- So responsible decision-making really is about the skills and abilities that children have to learn to make those constructive choices.

And those choices really are about their personal behavior, their social interactions, and doing those within the context of ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms.

As they grow and develop and they can start to make these decisions on their own with modeling, guidance, and support of course, then, you know, you will start to see these skills develop in even young children.

(inspiring music) So family plays a critical role in the development of all social and emotional skills.

From birth, parents are the ones who are building the relationship and attachment so that their young child can go out into the world of preschool, playground, play dates with peers, and they can do that confidently, kindly, and appropriately.

But they live and take their cues and model their own behavior after their most trusted adult, which are their parents or their caregivers in the home.