The right kind of praise

I've read several articles warning that too much praise and the wrong kind of praise can screw up your kids. They can become praise junkies who only do things to get a "good job!" or they might go the other way and become immune to praise, feeling that it's meaningless.

Here is an excellent article describing several research studies done on praise and how it impacts kids' self esteem and performance. The conclusion is to be specific and praise the effort. For example, I said "wow, you're so good at riding your bike" to E yesterday as she tried out her new 2-wheeler. I'll be more specific the next time we ride: "you worked really hard to pedal up that hill", "you figured out how to turn corners without tipping over". I hope this causes her to want to master more biking skills instead of plateauing because she's already good at it.

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

Tour de France champion in the making

We gave E a bike for her 4th birthday - a pink Trek with handlebar streamers and basket in the front. She jumped on and was racing around in minutes. It has a handbrake and she's already figured out how to go really fast and slam on the brake to make skid marks. She took a corner too fast and tipped right over - good thing she wears a helmet (also pink, of course, with little rabbits wearing tutus).

I love my new mac!

so does E - especially the PhotoBooth

Storynory

Free ipod ready stories for kids. Great site. http://www.storynory.com/

Preschooler accomplishments: solo bathroom visits and math

Oh yeah we did math with Elizabeth - adding and subtracting a few small numbers - she is grasping the concept! And another funny thing - she excused herself to the bathroom to poop, pee, wipe and wash all by herself!

Friendship and respect

Here's a question. Do you have to truly respect someone in order to consider them a close friend? And I don't mean a casual friend, I mean someone who you confide in and see yourself with for years. I say you do.