One of the biggest lessons we have learnt in the
last few decades is that it is valuable, important
and effective to praise children. Children respond
much better to encouragement than they do to
punishment, which is why praising them is considered
fundamental in helping them develop self-esteem and
strong self-belief. However, the wrong kind of
praise can do more harm than good, creating children
who lose all sense of rational judgement and are too
readily wrong-footed when they meet difficulty. In
this practical, common-sense guide, Elizabeth
Hartley-Brewer shows parents why understanding and
acknowledging boys' sensibilities is the key to
knowing how to award their sons with the right sort
of praise. Using insightful, accessible tips, she
reveals why boys need regular but small doses of
positive feedback to prevent them from becoming
distracted or losing focus in their work; what makes
the father/son relationship instrumental in ensuring
boys receive the right praise; why female approval
may have less value in the eyes of young boys than
male approval.
