The Huffington Post – Rebecca Jackson
“In the United States, at least 36% of school-aged children will not attempt a difficult or strenuous task. Furthermore, parents report that these children will quit tasks that are challenging “most or all of the time.” In countries with more rigorous standards than those currently imposed by the United States, parents’ report that children are far less likely to quit…How can we stop our children from quitting when things get hard? How can we expect them to comply with a school assignment if they don’t understand it? The answer, within the Empowerment Parenting model, is to praise our children for their hard work and effort…Perhaps the finest way we can help them to become lifelong learners is to convince them that we value their persistence and trying hard, regardless of the short-term outcome…Researchers and clinicians have noticed a single type of praise that is almost magical in its positive, lifelong effects on children. Praise for trying something new.”(more)