I came across your site and I love the premise. Here is my question. I know too many adults who show poor judgement or as this site focuses on, Common Sense, but at what age should you teach common sense? My daughter just became a teenage and she has been making some poor decisions, particularly when it comes to friendships. Her choices are not damaging to her or any other persons, but I don’t agree with her decisions. Should I approach her or is she too young to understand common sense. Thanks and look forward to your thoughts.

Author’s Reply

* Thank you for the positive feedback.

* Go to Users Q/A…Can You Teach Someone Common Sense…to get a detailed answer to that question.

* Now, for your daughter:

1. Explain to her that No Common Sense is not a teenage problem. There are many highly educated people, with important jobs, making bad decisions all the time! It takes place in all levels of society; business, education, politics, religion, entertainment, sports, personal relationships, etc. Common Sense is not common practice! It is a very serious problem in America!

2. Explain to her how the Supports for, and the barriers to, Common Sense (ref. Post #2) can affect decision making and problem solving.

3. Have a “find examples of No Common Sense contest”. Each of you create a list of No Common Sense Examples over a given period of time (i.e., one week sounds good for the first try).Compare your lists and calculate the total number of examples. You could set a prize for different levels of success (i.e., 0-5, 6-10, etc.) The prize could be something that involves the two of you.

4. Discuss each example using the Analyze The Example request at the end of each Post.

5. Let her know that developing an understanding of Common Sense will be a powerful personal strength that will help her be successful in the future.

GOOD LUCK…Let me know how things work out.