Parenting Information

You Goofed? Hip, Hip, Hooray!


Certainly we all want our children to excel. But it takes most kids years to find their strengths; if they don't try everything that comes their way --from kickball to spelling bees-- how will they discover their passions?

One thing that parents can model is to value 'effort' and 'risk'. Kids whose parents praise things like 'trying,' 'giving their best effort' and 'finishing what they've started' seem to have kids who try, give their best effort and finish things! While competition is a great teacher, there are also times that it is as important to reward participation as achievement.

Rewarding the courage to compete builds confidence and helps to combat the stigma attached to losing. People often forget that losing is nature's best teacher. High achieving adults we've interviewed confirmed that adversity and struggle (e.g. 'losing') taught them what they needed to do to win the next time!

Kids shouldn't be afraid of losing. Hug and praise them no matter how well or poorly they do. Go easy on the sympathy if they lose. Soft-pedal the congratulations if they win. In either case, ask them what they learned or what they'll try next time.

Remember, your offsprings' 'won/loss' record is not a reflection of your parenting skill- but their attitudes, values and ethics are. Whether they win or lose you can teach them to show the same respect for everyone who competes, to push themselves toward improvement and give to their best.

As with so many aspects of being a parent, it's all in how you approach it.

Andrea Patten is the co-author of What Kids Need to Succeed: Four Foundations of Adult Achievement which is now available on Amazon.com

For more information about 'The Four Foundations' please visit http://www.whatkidsneedtosucceed.com

"...because you're not raising a child - you're raising a future adult"


MORE RESOURCES:

Anderson court records detail accused killer's commitment to parenting
Anderson Independent Mail, SC - 5 hours ago
In 2006, family court officials ordered both parents to submit to drug tests and to comply with court-ordered behaviors, including the exposure of their ...


Examiner.com

Parenting Tip of the Day: Watch the sugar
Examiner.com - 5 hours ago
by Terreece Clarke, Parenting Examiner Though I'm writing this with the holidays in mind, this is actually a good tip for any time - watch the amount of ...


NEWS.com.au

The TV channel to good parenting
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 9 hours ago
I AM not ashamed to say that TV makes me a better parent. Too much TV isn't good for kids, but a bit of it sure is good for mums and dads. ...
Parents defy experts on television and computers Melbourne Herald Sun
all 24 news articles


Examiner.com

(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 10 hours ago
My parents gave me a magic kit one Christmas. In it was a little tube of gooey salve that if you rubbed between your fingers, smoke would rise up. ...


Should Schools Close on Inauguration Day?
Washington Post, United States - 4 hours ago
Let us know in the comments here or on the On Parenting blog. Stay on top of the latest from Inauguration Watch! This easy-to-use widget is simple to add to ...


Interaction of Parenting Experiences and Brain Structure in the ...
Archives of General Psychiatry - 2 hours ago
Objective To examine the influence of adverse parenting as an environmental moderator of the association between brain structure and depressive symptoms. ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 10 hours ago
by Mark Donovan, Boston Bars & Clubs Examiner This Friday will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. And you know what that means: Debauchery ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Parenting: The Idle Parent
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 11 hours ago
It is highly critical, for example, of full-time day care for small children, arguing that, in the early years, the child needs its parents to be close by. ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 10 hours ago
by Onajide Shabaka, Miami Visual Art Examiner by Onajide Shabaka Is it really been 10 years that Locust Projects has been part of our cultural landscape? ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 10 hours ago
by Mary Purdey, Allston Community Examiner Thanksgiving is now over for another year. I hope that everyone had a good time this past week, ...

Parenting - Google News

home | site map
© 2006