The Rule of 5....what is it?

When my kids are struggling with a choice, [especially on with good arguments for both sides] I teach them to use what my family calls the "Rule of 5." For each choice you consider what the resulting benefits and costs will be in 5 days, in 5 months, and in 5 years. When the kids were younger and time seemed forever I used to use 5 minutes, 5 hours, and 5 days which was more within their understanding.

The idea of the Rule of 5 is to teach kids:
1- to weigh the consequences [good and bad] of choices they make
2-to look beyond the most immediate results to longer term impacts
3-to use that information to recognize the better choice
If your children develop a habit of using the Rule of 5 [and if you are lucky] that will lead to.... 4- using that information to MAKE the better choice.

Sadly, with tough choices it seems to me that the option with comfortable short term results is often NOT the wisest choice . Take lying for example. When a child has done something wrong, lying and saying they did not do it makes life easier right then. The negative consequences kick in down the road.... a place hard for kiddos to see when they are facing immediate punishment. For older kids, the social pressure to make a poor choice often has lots of benefits in the short term [popularity, attention, etc.] so that kids need a habit of looking at the long term effects of impulsive choices.

Try the Rule of 5 yourself, or with your family. Let me know whether it helps !