09 Oct To Praise or Not to Praise
We have no doubt that this week’s TLC Parent Topic has caused some confusion in our parenting lives – to praise or not to praise? Let’s start with a familiar example: your child just finished creating an impressive tower with duplo blocks. Without even thinking you share with great enthusiasm, “great job!”. You immediately regret your response and wish you had said, “good effort!”.
What do we really know about praise? Similar to most of our parenting topics, the research is far from simple. You will soon learn that the effects of praise depends on the age of the child and whether or not the child has low or high self esteem.
The only way you can go wrong with praising a toddler is if you say Good job! after they’ve done something you don’t want them to do.