Too many new parents take snippets of their own often-dysfunctional up-bringing, mix it up with some random advice from friends and family, toss in a bit of something they read or heard once, and top it off with some pop psychology and call it child-rearing.

And it works. Sort of.

The problem is that few people spend as much time reading and actually learning about parenting in the same way they learn and read about, well, pretty much anything else. Their career. Their relationships. A foreign language. Politics. Religion.

That’s why we were pleased to read this entry from Cognitive Daily entitled, What’s the best way to praise a child? Be specific. Reducing the sum of all the child research done in this area into an elongated blog entry, Dave Munger gives new parents the basics about praise — be specific in your praise (the more specific, the better). Don’t be general.

Say, “You did a good job in that coloring book” or “You did a good job helping me take out the trash” or “Great job in helping Mommy bury the remains of the cat!”

Don’t say, “You’re so smart!” or “You’re a good drawer!” or “You’re a good cook.”

Every tip helps and this one is invaluable. Click on the link to read more about the research related to these findings.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 13 Sep 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.