So, here goes nothing.
The other day I noticed a very odd phenomenon and it would seem to me that a little moderation is in order.
I'm talking about parents who over praise their kids. Now, don't misunderstand me. I want you to praise your children, tell them when they've done well and give them the positive feedback they need. But let's be a little judicious here people!
A child who picks up their toys when asked shouldn't be thrown a ticker-tape parade but also shouldn't be ignored. To that end, I like to create a continuum of behavior exhibited by the parents that starts at -10 and goes to +10 with 0 obviously being the middle.
Now, kids will pick up EVERYTHING you do and that includes how you handle situations that come up. If you go praise-nutty over a small item or task the child does well at, what are you going to do when they really do that awesome, monumental, OMG, tell-the-entire-wold-including-facebook thing?
So, I want you to 'live' in the -3 to +3 zone and reserve the -5 to +5 for 'big' things that your child does well and doesn't do so well. If you curb your reactions, they will too and not only that, they will learn how to self-regulate as they watch you self-regulate your emotions. All on their own! They will also have a smaller range of their own emotions as well, meaning that the next tantrum or outburst just might be one or two notches slightly lower than previously. Ergo; making life a little easier on you!
Hang in there, I'm rooting for you
~Eric
