Jan 29, 201210:42 PMKeeping it Real
30 Day Mom Challenge Day 13
30 Day Mom Challenge Day 13—Do not criticize your child today.
Another tough one. Am I a criticizer? In the dictionary, it says that criticism is fault-finding, negative judgment, and it’s something that I try to avoid.
By trade, I’m an editor and a writer so criticism and judgment are a part of my daily routine. But there is a good way to do it and a bad way to do it.
I don’t tell my kids that they are stupid, that they are not good at something or that they screwed up; I try to put a positive spin on it. If my kids obviously did not try their best at something, I will call them out on it. I’ll explain that if they fail at something when they gave it their best shot, they should still be proud. But if they aren’t really trying and it shows in their outcome? I’ll tell them that, too.
So while I don’t negatively criticize I will constructively criticize. I’ll tell them when they need to work smarter, not harder, and when their efforts need a little work.
How do you encourage your kids to do their best?
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Mari Farthing is the mother of two young children, the wife of an air force member and the editor of MetroFamily Magazine.
