"I have to celebrate you, baby

I have to praise you like I should"

Praise You by Fatboy Slim (Mike and I entered our wedding reception to this song 😄)

Hi Reader!

During my livestream yesterday, I got this question: My child (age 5, kindergarten) wants constant affirmation for the smallest things. How much is too much and how can I show him he needs to do hard work to get praise?

• Rephrase the praise: Praise is good, but to a child looking for affirmation it can be like an addiction. Rephrase it to say thank you for the small things. It models manners and gratitude.
• Build Confidence: Yes it's nice getting a compliment, but long term it feels a lot better to be proud of yourself. You can model this by saying positive things out loud to yourself. "I worked hard on that and I'm proud of it," or "When I put my things away I feel good." The book I Can Do Hard Things is a great resource for this.
• It's a phase: On some level here, it's a part of their development. Children 7 and under want affirmation from the adults around them. Around the age of 8, their focus shifts to peers. No matter how much you work on this, on some level they will want your praise. You mean everything to them 💕

You can listen to my full answer here and comment with your thoughts!

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Be good to yourself- you deserve it 💕