I remember being little and my mom teaching me what different things in the house were called. She would say, “Door..Toothbrush..Trash.” I remember being able to reach the trash can, and every time my mom would have something she needed to throw away, she would call my name and say “trash.” I was so happy to take her trash and toss it in the garbage can because she always said, “Yayyyyyy!” after every successful trash deposit.
After so much positive feedback, I was so anxious to get my hands on anything that would fit in the trash can just to hear my mom’s reaction. Needless to say, that ended very quickly, once I started throwing shoes and car keys in the can.
As I got older, certain things that I wanted to accomplish in life were easy for me to do. This was for many reasons. One was because I was obviously passionate about whatever endeavor I was engaged in at the time.
The second reason was because it really gave me a reason to make not only myself proud, but it put me in a position to do things to make my mom proud also. Praises are important when it comes to raising children, who will soon be tweens, then teens and then young adults.
The power of praise can be tremendously positive in a child’s life. Acknowledging the efforts and accomplishments of your young ones can boost their self-confidence.
It can also help motivate them to keep trying hard and looking for effective strategies to overcome new challenges. When one feels good about the things they are doing, it is only natural for them to want to do more things that will make them feel good and bring them more positive praises.
Just like me when I was younger. The smallest handclap and smile made me want to clean up any and everything in sight. Even though I got a little carried away, the results of being appreciated as a young girl made me want to continue to be a hard worker as a young woman. Except this time, the praises come from not only family members, but also mentors, friends and coworkers.
Now, I am not saying tweens and teens should try to accomplish their goals only for praises. I’m just shedding light on how the power of praise can really be beneficial to the mental and emotional well-being of your child.
So whether you are a parent, sibling or friend, if there is someone that you really want to praise, be sure to make it a sincere one. You don’t want them to feel like it is forced.
Try not to compare your young ones to others unless you are comparing them to themselves. We always want to do whatever we can to make the people younger than us feel absolutely appreciated and motivated to do and be better as they grow.
Paishance Welch
Tweens, Teens & Young Adults
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