My wife used to teach elementary school. There was a cute little six-year-old who she thought was adorable. She would brag on him and how smart he was and how cute he was and how athletic he was at recess.

Whenever I would see the little guy, I would slap him around, push him to the ground and remind my wife that he still believed in Santa Claus and probably wets the bed. I was mean to the little guy on purpose.

In my mind he was my competition. In twenty years, he would be twenty-six years old. I would be over fifty years old. My wife may want to trade me in for a younger model. I’m kidding, or am I?

Smart people think about the future. Smart people know what they value, not what society values, but what they value. Smart people are in sync with their moral compass. Smart people have developed decision making methods to help them through life.

The way I treat people is simple. I ask myself: How would I like them to treat me. The way I treat women is simple. I ask myself how I would like my mother, daughter or wife to be treated. One way to make good decisions is to ask yourself this question: What is the logical thing to do? Considering your current situation, your past experiences and your future hopes and dreams, what’s the logical thing to do?

Once we know what the logical thing to do is, we must exercise the discipline to carry it out. Bad decisions don’t advertise consequences. The candy bar doesn’t have a label that tells you it will rot your teeth and make you gain weight. Bad decisions are initially easy or fun, however the result is not as glamorous.

Why would a high school student drop out of school? Why would someone not wear a seat-belt? Why would someone break the law? I don’t believe people with morals, hopes, and dreams practice bad decision making.

I have teenage children. They will try to start dating soon. They will start driving soon. They will be offered e-cigarettes, real cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, opportunities to steal, gamble, be mean and selfish. I have worked with young people most of my life.

I was teaching Sunday School when I was eight years old. I believe ages 13-23 is the pivotal time of one’s life. If a person can develop good habits, work ethic, morals and the art of communication in this ten-year span they will have a good life. If not, their life will be full of misery and disappointment. The question I encourage my children to ask is: What is the logical thing to do? Considering your current situation, your past experiences and your future hopes and dreams, what’s the logical thing to do?

Think back to the bad decisions you made in your life. How would things have been different if you would have asked yourself this question?

When my son was six or seven, we visited my great aunt in the hospital. Kenneth prayed for her at the end of our visit. As we left the hospital, we ran into my grandmother who was coming to see her sister. After I told my grandmother about Kenneth’s prayer she was so happy. She went in her purse to give him a dollar.

The problem was that she didn’t have a dollar, so she gave him a ten-dollar bill. Months later when we were in the same hospital to see our cousin Ray, Kenneth prayed for Ray the same way he prayed for Aunt Mae Bell.

As we left the hospital he was looking for someone to give him money. His past experiences told him money came after prayer. His future hopes and dreams were to buy candy, but you and I both know it wasn’t logical. Big decisions come to us older folk, but just like my son, some of us aren’t logical.