Is Your Child's Personal Development Filled With Praise?
This delightful picture was drawn by Harlee, my great niece.
This will give them an amazing grounding and help them become strong confident adults. So many of our problems are a result of how we were treated or spoken to when we were growing up. The power of words is amazing. There is a saying that you may have heard. It is "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." I believe this saying is so untrue. Words can hurt even the most strong of us. Once the words have been spoken they cannot be taken back. Sometimes they may have been spoken without malice or intent to hurt but they do. They can affect a child's personal development for many years to come. We have to be very careful in the way we speak to our children. To say to a child "You are useless" or "You're not much good at that are you?" can affect a child's confidence and start him believing that he isn't much good at anything. This is so, particularly if they are always criticized, and never praised. When a child does something wrong why not say "That was a silly thing to do, but you're not silly, I love you." It's easy to say to a child, "Well done, you did really well", and yet some parents don't think to give praise. Sometimes an adult is quick to say to a child "You could have done better", or "You didn't try hard enough". Dashing the child's expectation of being thought of as having tried his best. A child's development will thrive on praise. When you want a child to do better, praise him and say how well he has done. Much better to say that than to tell him you think he could have done better. By letting a child know he could have tried harder or done better, he is getting negative feedback. Children, like adults, suffer with low self-esteem. Other children can be quite cruel with their comments to each other and if your child is particularly sensitive, he can take this to heart and suffer emotionally. However, if he has always had lots of praise and positive words from his family, (and trillions of hugs!) the words spoken by the children at school should not have such a powerful effect on him. Why is this? Because at home his self esteem and confidence have been built up ten fold by what you tell him. He knows how great he is and most importantly how loved. He will thrive in this loving environment. A childs personal development can never be started too young.
Harlee (who is on the other side of the world from me) eventually saw her picture at the top of this page. I think her message is so lovely, I wanted to share it with you. I am not sure why I have suddenly gained magical powers! Dear Great Aunty Kay, I was really surprised when i saw my picture on your website because I have never been on a computer before! I liked your website and was happy when I saw my picture. Will you do any more childrens pages for me to read? Would you be able to help me get rid of my warts? love from Harlee xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  Custom Search Child's Self-Esteem Positive Quotes for Grandmothers Children Invitation Personal Growth Homepage Go from Child's Personal Development to Site Map
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To say "Well done, you were fantastic, I can't wait to see you do that again, you were brilliant." These comments can only make the child want to try again and do better don't you think? 
