If the child doesn't know how to think for himself and relies on others to do it for him, he will end up a victim of peer pressure or much worse. As a baby, you probably didn't get too many choices in life about what you ate, drank or wore. It was all decided for you. As you grew older and became a toddler, choices start to surface. You may have been asked to chose between milk or juice for a drink or you got to pick between two different outfits to wear for the day.
Choices are so very important in the toddler years.
It trains the mind to make decisions on its own without outside influence. Respect any decision your child makes and praise any good decisions. A child aged six to ten will have different decisions and choices to make and will have different pressures as well. Friends start to play a vital part in your child's life now. Outside influences will bombard your child's mind.