What would your kid do?

We’d all like to believe our children would make the right choice when presented with a challenging situation like whether or not to answer the door to a stranger. But would they make the choice you hope they’d make?

"The Perils of Parenting" program, produced by NBC's Dateline, tested kids in tough situations like these:

• A stranger comes to the door with a badge asking to come in to inspect milk. Would your child let him in?
• What would your child do if she were playing a video game with a group of kids and one of the kids started bullying another one?
• Would your child approach a car when the driver calls out to them that he needs help finding his lost puppy?
• Would your teen get into a car when he knows that the driver has been drinking? 
• If your young child was told not to peek at a toy on a table behind him, would he peek?

They tested these situations using hidden cameras where the parents were in a room watching as the scenes unfolded. Parents knew the choice they hoped their children will make – but often they expressed doubt as to whether their child would really make the wise choice. In this unscientific test, parents who periodically drilled their kids on what to do in situations like these made better choices.

What would your child do? This show just might encourage you to have a few more discussions with your children about handling tough situations!