Teach your child to analyze or solve problems is an essential skill every parent can help develop. As parents, we often see our children getting anxious, worrying about exams, mistakes, or what others might think. We want to help, but sometimes even we don’t know how to guide them when fear takes over. That’s why understanding how to analyze facts calmly is such a powerful skill, not just for us, but for our children too.

This article will help you understand the point “analyze the facts” from Decision – Part 1 of 3: The Pillars of Life Series

And to make it clear, I’ll share a true story from Dale Carnegie’s classic book, “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living”: the story of Galen Litchfield, a man who faced a life-or-death situation and overcame it with clarity and courage.

By the end, you’ll see how his method can become a life lesson for your child.

The Story:

Galen was one of the most successful American businessmen in the Far East. In 1942, shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, he was in Shanghai, where he served as the manager of the Asia Life Insurance Company. The Japanese dispatched a man, referred to as an “army liquidator,” who was actually an admiral. Galen was ordered to assist him in liquidating the company’s assets. He had no choice: either cooperate or die.

He went through the motions of doing what he was told. But there was a block of securities, worth $750,000, which was left off the list he gave to the admiral. He left that block of securities off the list because they belonged to a Hong Kong organization and had nothing to do with Shanghai assets.

He feared that he might be in hot water if the Japanese found out what he had done. One day, his fear came true. The admiral found out what he had done. He flew into a rage, stamped and swore, and called Galen a thief. Fortunately, Galen was not in the office at that time, but his head accountant was there. Galen heard the news on Sunday.

Now he had to find a definite technique for solving these problems. So he typed two questions on the typewriter:
1. What am I worrying about?

2. What can I do about it?

Here is the thing that every parent should teach their child. Read carefully the answers he wrote; you will gain an idea of how a person can deal with this life-or-death situation.

Q1. What am I worrying about?
– I am afraid I will be thrown into the Bridgehouse tomorrow morning.
(Bridgehouse is nothing but a torture chamber.)

Q2. What can I do about it?
(Galen spent hours thinking it out and wrote down four courses of action he could take.)

a. I can try to explain to the Japanese admiral. But he doesn’t speak English. If I try to explain to him through an interpreter, I may stir him up again. That might mean death, for he is cruel and would rather dump me in the Bridgehouse than bother talking about it.

b. I can try to escape. Impossible. They keep track of me all the time. I have to check in and out of my room. If I try to escape, I’ll probably be captured and shot.

c. I can stay here in my room and not go near the office again. If I do, the Japanese admiral will be suspicious, will probably send soldiers to get me, and will throw me into the Bridgehouse without giving me a chance to say a word.

d. I can go down to the office as usual on Monday morning. If I do, there is a chance that the Japanese admiral may be so busy that he will not think of what I did. Even if he does think of it, he may have cooled off and may not bother me. If this happens, I am all right. Even if he does bother me, I’ll still have a chance to try to explain to him. So, going down to the office as usual on Monday morning and acting as if nothing had gone wrong gives me two chances to escape the Bridgehouse.

As soon as he thought it all out and decided to accept the fourth plan, to go down to the office as usual on the Monday morning, he felt immense relief.

As he entered the office the next morning, the Japanese admiral sat there with a cigarette and stared angrily and said nothing. Six weeks later the admiral went back to Tokyo, and Galen’s worries were ended.

The story ends here.

See how Galen used the question-answer method to manage this tense situation. His life was saved that Sunday. There isn’t a rule that says you can only write two questions; if you feel it’s important, you can write four.

Galen Litchfield’s story reminds us that peace of mind isn’t about avoiding problems; it’s about facing them with courage and clarity. When life feels out of control, remember calmness in crisis can reclaim your inner strength.

Parenting Takeaway:

As parents, we often see our children worrying or panicking when problems come up, maybe a tough exam, a fight with a friend, or a mistake they made.

That’s when you can step in and teach them what Galen did.

Guide them to pause and ask themselves:
1. What am I worrying about?
2. What can I do about it?

If they have more thoughts, add more questions and ask them to write. The goal is to move from confusion to clarity. When a child writes down their worries and possible actions, they learn to analyze facts, not drown in fear. And once they decide and act, their mind becomes calm, because clarity kills worry.

I hope this article was helpful.

Related Articles on Teaching Life Skills to Children:
1. Planning – Part 2 of 3: The Pillars of Life Series
2. 10 Life Lessons to Teach Kids
3. How to Build Responsibility in a Child