I've read an article recently about praise and it has made me think very deeply about how I praise Edward and what I am expecting to achieve. If he does something that pleases me I give him an abundance of praise, for example saying a new word or crawling for the first time. But what happens if he comes to rely on praise to build his self esteem?
As I am writing this blog I've been showing my husband, who appears non-plussed, which leads to me feeling desperately insecure, which I know is silly. I also need praise because my own opinion isn't good enough, what happens if he grows up to be like me and comes to expect or need other peoples encouragement to build his own self esteem? I don't think this is a positive thing and it's something I need to really think about. I want Edward to be comfortable in himself and to be able to build his own self worth. If I continue to praise every tiny thing that he does, will he come to rely on that?
Letting go of praise, I think, was one of the hardest thing I had to do as a parent.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, we highly desire to be loved and praised to the sky, and if it fails, we hit rock bottom.
I have slowly started to let go of these feelings I have myself... as I am unschooling my daughter, I am unschooling myself to, little by little