Saturday, July 02, 2011

It is OK to praise your children

I like this thought:

Perhaps once in a hundred years a person may be ruined by excessive praise, but surely once in every minute someone dies inside for lack of it.
Cecil G. Osborne

We do have to be careful about how we give praise, especially to our children.  If we tell our children while they are sitting on a coach watching TV, "Oh you are so smart." they will come to think they are smart and they don't have to work hard. 

We should give honest praise for traits we want to encourage.  For example "I am proud how you kept trying even when it was hard."


Hat tip: Covey Planner.

2 comments:

Luke Holzmann said...

This seems easily broken into praise versus flattery: Praise being based in reality and effort. May those around us not die inside for lack of encouragement and praise.

~Luke

Henry Cate said...

That is a great distinction.