The folks who research on praise would like parents and teachers to use descriptive praise and avoid evaluative praise when commenting on children’s behaviors, academics and athletics. What to Say and Why: Descriptive Praise Descriptive praise describes behavior and gives it a label. For behavior, this might be, “you handed a block, that was helpful,” or, … Continue reading Descriptive versus Evaluative Praise
Dear Dr. Rene, My almost two-and-a-half-year-old decided she wanted underwear 11 days ago. So, we are 11 days into potty training. She goes to daycare, and is now fully potty trained at daycare (at least barring any regression that could happen.) At home, I still have to take her to the potty every hour, or she’ll … Continue reading Ownership in Potty Training
Hi Dr. Rene, My two-and-a-half-year-old is going through a lot of the typical two year old stuff. He has a growing imagination, talks lots, tests boundaries and is experiencing new fears. I am taking this all in stride, but I do find myself thinking that he doesn’t seem very resilient. He seems so sensitive to … Continue reading Helping a Child Be Resilient
Parenting by Dr. Rene 