Better we should talk to children about actions, consequences and decision making. How will my actions affect me, others? Am I acting in my own best interests? Will my actions have far reaching effects? What are they? Will I hurt/endanger myself and /or others? Empathy is a learned concept, and in my opinion an essential social skill.

Human beings indulge in a wide spectrum of behaviours, most harmless, others that flirt with risk. In addition to understanding the difference we should ask:  'Is what I am undertaking considered a smart risk?'

No matter whether it's a small child snatching a toy from another, a teenage girl/boy smoking weed on a Friday night, kite-surfer out on a stormy day, a contractor accepting under the table payments, a business woman sipping wine in a hotel bar, or a middle-aged man considering approaching that woman, scenarios can unfold - unfriendly and aggressive to self and others. 

Isn't it a simple matter of self-preservation to make better decisions ?