How healthy are they? Discover it here.
The praise that serves to educate is, above all, sincere
Praise is the best educational tool. We are talking about timely, adequate, on-time, well-dosed and managed compliments … But, in addition, sincere, that is,? Senses? by who says them.
Behaviors that receive attention, that find an echo, tend to increase, while those that find emptiness and silence in response tend to disappear.
When we praise our children, we not only help them feel better and develop their self-esteem, but we are developing their qualities and positive aspects.
But won’t praise turn children into vain little ones? The answer is no, as long as they are applied with opportunity and measure, within a balanced educational style, in which the norms, limits, consideration and respect for others are also present. A solid self-esteem, not “inflated”, based on self-acceptance is a vaccine against pride.
But beware. What gives praise value is love and good intention. It is not about manipulating the child.
If with praise we try to breathe into him aspirations that exceed him or disproportionate demands, we will be precisely attacking healthy self-esteem. Or if it is a cold manipulative strategy, then praise is a kind of depersonalizing poison.
For a compliment to be effective it must:
1. Be sincere and spontaneous (not contrived or used to manipulate and blackmail).
2. Its intensity and shape must be consistent with the achievement or good behavior that we praise (that is, not superficial or exaggerated).
3. Describe the behavior that is praised, because that multiplies its effectiveness:? How pleasant have you been all afternoon with your brother, playing with him ?, instead of simply? How well have you behaved ?.
4. Dose: neither too many nor too few.