Praising Correctly

Who knew paying your child a compliment could be so damaging? According to researchers in the Netherlands, all praise is not created equal.  In fact, you may even harm your kid if you don’t applaud him properly. Oh, the horror! Scientists at Utrecht University claim certain types of praise have the ability to sabotage self-esteem in children with fragile egos.  The researchers categorize effort-based praise as the good type of praise and personal praise as its evil twin. For example, if your child scores a touchdown during his school football game and you shout out:  “You are the most awesome … Continue reading