In this week’s sneak peek at Doctor Hammond’s upcoming book we’re chatting about a hot button issue that gets some parents and caregivers riled up – Praise vs. punishment. What is best for children to get them to behave the way we want and/or need them to? Let’s dive right in and discuss it.

From a strictly psychological standpoint, praise is far more effective and has a more positive impact than punishment on children. Giving physical and audible rewards of praise boosts self-esteem, helps the child’s emotional growth and is more likely to produce the desired behavior you want in your children.

Punishment on the other hand can produce severe negative effects including, but not limited to:

– The child become more rebellious in nature

– Lying and hiding to escape punishment

– Low self-esteem

– Rude behavior to parents and other authority figures

– Power struggles between parent and child or between other authority figures and child

Of course, there is also such a thing as too much praise. You should not praise your children when they don’t deserve it. You should also refrain from excessively praising them when they fail at something. For example, saying something to the effect of “good try” when they strike out during a game of baseball is fine, but don’t overdo it. Doing so sets the stage for the child to expect being praised in life even if they don’t do well and that is an unrealistic precedence that could cause the child to have significantly low self worth in the future.

Now, we want to hear from you! How much praise do you give your kids? And, what are your thoughts on praising vs. punishment? Leave a comment below and tell us about it! Then, be sure to keep checking back as we continue our sneak peaks into Doctor Hammond’s book!