Latest / Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families / #367 Tip For the Day - Competent Then Confident
Transcript
- 0:03Speaker 1: It's the Happy Family's podcast.
- 0:05Speaker 2: It's the podcast for the time poor parent who just
- 0:09Speaker 2: wants answers Now Gooday. This is doctor Justin Coulson. It's
- 0:12Speaker 2: a holiday in Queensland today, so we're keeping it really short,
- 0:15Speaker 2: really simple, so we can focus on time with our
- 0:17Speaker 2: family and you can focus on time with yours. Today's
- 0:20Speaker 2: podcast just a sixty second tip for making your family happy.
- 0:24Speaker 2: For the past several decades, lots of experts have told
- 0:28Speaker 2: us that praise boosts our kids' confidence. While this can
- 0:32Speaker 2: be true in some instances, research has consistently called this
- 0:36Speaker 2: idea into question. In fact, a lot of research shows
- 0:39Speaker 2: that praising our kids can actually undermine their confidence. In
- 0:42Speaker 2: his book The Optimistic Child, professor Martin Seligman stated that
- 0:47Speaker 2: if we want our children to be confident, they have
- 0:49Speaker 2: to be good at something or competent. We don't get
- 0:52Speaker 2: confident kids though through praising them. Praising ironically creates kids
- 0:57Speaker 2: whose confidence is shallow and can crumb at the first
- 1:01Speaker 2: sign of failure. If you've ever watched Australian Idol all
- 1:04Speaker 2: those years ago, you'd know that would be a testament
- 1:06Speaker 2: to that idea. Instead, confident kids do at least one thing. Well,
- 1:09Speaker 2: they don't have to be the best, so long as
- 1:11Speaker 2: they feel competent, whether it's music, sport, art or something
- 1:15Speaker 2: unique to them. Competence boosts confidence. If you want your
- 1:19Speaker 2: kids to be confident, help them to become competent, and
- 1:23Speaker 2: then instead of praising them, do one of two things.
- 1:26Speaker 2: Ask them how they think they're going, or say thanks
- 1:31Speaker 2: because you appreciate what they're doing. I've written more about
- 1:34Speaker 2: it in my book Nine Ways to a Resilient Child,
- 1:37Speaker 2: and you can download a webinar all about the perils
- 1:40Speaker 2: of praise from my website at happy families dot com
- 1:43Speaker 2: dot au.
- 1:43Speaker 1: It's a Happy Families podcast for a happier family. Try
- 1:48Speaker 1: a Happy Families membership because a happy family doesn't just happen.
- 1:52Speaker 1: Details at happy families dot com dot au.
- 1:56Speaker 2: Thanks so much for listening to the Happy Families Podcast.
- 1:58Speaker 2: Really appreciate that, even on a holiday day, at least
- 2:01Speaker 2: here in Queensland, that you're taken some time out to
- 2:04Speaker 2: make your family happier. The podcast is produced by Justin
- 2:07Speaker 2: Ruland from Bridge Media. Craig Bruce is our executive producer.
- 2:10Speaker 2: We love making families happier. If you'd like to find
- 2:14Speaker 2: new ways that you can make your family happier, or
- 2:16Speaker 2: even join up with the Happy Families membership. You can
- 2:19Speaker 2: find all the info you need either at our Facebook page,
- 2:21Speaker 2: Doctor Justin Colson's Happy Families or at happy families dot
- 2:25Speaker 2: com dot au