What drives the choices we make?

Making good choices is a really handy skill. Sometimes we really struggle to know what the best choice is. We hum and haaa and wonder. And perhaps sometimes either choice would be fine. Just go ahead and jump one way or the other, pa-leeeeease!

But sometimes a wrong choice can have dire consequences. It’s every parent’s nightmare that our children may make a choice that spins them off the road. We hope, if it does happen, they can apply the brakes, do a u-turn or abandon the car altogether and take up cycling or walking.  In other words, we hope that over the years we and others have helped equip them with some tools for making choices that will ultimately serve themselves and others well. And we hope they will know when the fuel tank is getting low, the tyre has a puncture and how to pull those tools out of the boot and do some running repairs. Or better still, they will know how to set off in a safe car, on a well-illumined street, seat belt firmly in place, and without any distracting back-set drivers.  But we (and they) make mistakes; it takes loads of practice to travel the high-roads and low-roads of life well, with many a wrong turn along the way.

Here’s a tool based on the versatile car metaphor that might help jump start conversations about how people are travelling in their lives, and how to change direction if they are hitting speed bumps, colliding with other cars or getting bogged. Cars ‘R’ Us consists of 79 cards and a booklet of suggested uses. This resource is for teachers, psychologists, social workers, therapists, parents and facilitators will help children, teens and adults explore feelings, set goals and make skillful choices.

Take these fun, boisterous, quiet, angry, happy, racy

and just plain goofy cars for a spin

…and don’t forget to fasten your seat-belt—change is around the corner!

By Karen Bedford