I am NOT suggesting that being a parent and raising our kids is anything at all like training a dog. Really, I am NOT.  However… I once hired a dog trainer who focused almost exclusively on training a puppy by giving it, in his words, “plenty of praise.”  Giving our kids plenty of praise is also a good idea and (and a squeaky toy or two can’t hurt either.)  OK, before I start barking up the wrong tree, let me get back to the point.  Praise, and plenty of it.  Confidence and self-esteem, love and respect, are all things that are conveyed to our kids when they receive the praise of a parent.  We typically find the obvious things to praise our kids about – getting a good grade, cleaning their room, finishing everything on their plate, but it is also good to find different reasons to praise our kids and show them we’ve noticed and appreciate something good they have done. With that in mind, here are:

3 Things Your Kids Do That Are Worthy Of Praise:

1)  Being a good friend.  How do your kids deal with their friends? Do they share? Lend support?  When you notice your child being a good friend let them know you are proud of them, and that their friend is very lucky to have them as a BFF.

2) Being compassionate to animals.  Even if you don’t have pets, take note when your kids express compassion to animals.  I did not grow up in a pet household, but my kids did.  Dogs and cats have always been a part of their lives, and I’d like to think they have learned a great many lessons – including lessons of loss – from our pet ownership.  Seeing your kids treat animals with care, kindness and compassion is a good reason to take the trainer’s advice and give them “plenty of praise” (the Kids and the pets).

3) Making a healthy choice (food or exercise).  Despite our modern society’s hyper focus on money, our true wealth is our health, a lesson it is never too soon or too late to impart upon our kids.  Just watch Jamie Oliver to see the negative impact poor eating habits can have on kids.  But eating is not the only culprit.  Regular exercise is an essential part of staying healthy.  When you see your kids making healthy food choices and partaking in activities that cause them to sweat, it is a great time to reinforce such good behavior with praise.

What do you think?  What are some other things your kids do that are praiseworthy?  Please add them to the comments so we can all use them to “train” our kids with plenty of praise.

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 18).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes!and Social Networking Rehab and you can listen to Jeff on the Cast of Dads podcast.

Photo Credit: © Andrey Zyk – Fotolia.com