Great job! (to every little thing)
Unfortunately, this may go against your instincts, but you should hear us out before dismissing it. Psychologists that specialize in children’s behavior note that you should not tell your grandchildren, “Great job!” at every little thing they do well, as it will soon not mean anything to them. You will be seen as offering unwavering praise at anything, and they will soon no longer feel like they did something right but rather that you are just saying it at anything. What’s more, they will end up tuning you out when you praise them.
Instead, you should offer praise when it is warranted, and when you want to praise them for doing something right, even if it is small, you can offer it in a nonspecific way so that they know you appreciate their effort.
If they are drawing, for example, you can ask them about how they did it or ask them why they used colors together and tell them they work well together; that way they will understand you like what they did and that it is indeed a good job, but it will be more meaningful because you are showing interest in what they did, not just throwing out praise.
If you are worried that you will not know how to communicate effectively with your grandkids, it may be beneficial if you read more about the subject. The How To Talk Series books have a book about communicating with children, and you can get it on Amazon for only $11 on sale. It definitely changed how we talk to our grandkids for the better!
6 Responses
I’m not familiar with ap classes, but if they provide the benefits listed, I would encourage young people to participate in such a class.
AP classes are the more difficult classes. Also, if you’re in high school, those classes make a better impression on universities when you’re applying. They really do have better information on the subject matter.
I have said all of here phrases LoL I work with adolescents (teenage boys) the last 3 are definant shares used often.
You don’t know anything about kids. If you stop and communicate with them they CAN understand what you are talking about.
I grew up hearing these comments from my parents over my childhood. My parents do not have a relationship with their grandchildren or great grandchildren, they have a disrespect for children that I grew up with and unfortunately it extends to other members of the family. My mother is very negative about many areas in life. She complains about behaviors that people do and bugs them about the behaviors that they do. Like scratching too much irate my mother or coughing too much. She can be nerve-racking to be around when she is in these moods. Unfortunately, my mother does not do anything with her great grandkids. I see the INOGEN commercials, and I think unfortunately that is not my mother.
How ignorant – anyone with common sense and respect would not use these phrases. I’m 82 and have a healthy relationship with grandkids and am always honest and straightforward, encouraging but not ridiculous. If anyone is still doing the things in this article, STOP!