What Would You Do If...
Book: What Would You Do If
Authors: Shalmarie Bunker and Kim Osborne
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Date: 2002
This little book is a tremendous teaching tool for parents. It is filled with What If questions for you to discuss with your children. Although statistics and anecdotes are offered, you are expected to decide for yourself what would be a good solution. This is important, since not all parents agree on the best way to handle a situation. The book doesn’t tell you what to say, but it does suggest questions to ask. Parents are encouraged to ask these questions again and again, practicing them in the car, during play or during Family Home Evenings.
What would you do if your friend wanted to show you his dad’s gun?
What would you do if you were at a friend’s house and were hungry?
What would you do if you were at the park and you saw a child standing alone watching you play?
What would you do if you got lost at the mall?
As you can see, these questions cover a wide range of problems. Where most such books focus on safety or moral issues, this book also covers practical problems, and those that are simply a matter of good manners. There are tips for teaching a child the skill you want him to learn. For instance, if you want your child to go to a cash register if he is lost in a store, show him where the cash registers are and while there, ask what he would do next. What would he say? You are encouraged to use follow-up questions to go beyond the canned answers and to assess your child’s understanding.
I highly recommend this book for parents who want to prepare their children for life’s experiences. This is an outstanding resource for family home evenings and for homeschooling, and can be utilized in a variety of creative ways. It’s time to start a really good conversation!
-by Terrie Lynn Bittner