When I tell my seven year old how kind he is, I see him react in kindness throughout the rest of the day. When my three year old shares his candy from our Friday after school gas station trip with his brother, I make a big deal about how generous he is. He now shares his candy every time.
It makes sense. We all respond better to praise over correction. But it is really difficult to put this into practice when dealing day in and day out with your children. There seems to be so many things that need correction. However, I am finding that when I intentionally praise my kids, there are less things that need correction.
Starting tonight, I am adding something to our bed time routine: A minute of praise. Right after we say our prayers, I plan on saying one great thing that each of them did that day. Obviously this won't replace spontaneous praise throughout the day, but it will allow us to thoughtfully affirm each of them in front of the other.
I would love some more ideas about this... how do you praise your children?
