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/