1 comment:

• John J Flanagan posted at 4:54 pm on Wed, Jan 23, 2013.

  Posts: 33

  I suppose every parent will handle it differently. It does depend, to some extent, on the sensitivity of the child who received the certificate. Some kids don't care if Mommy reads it and places it into the garbage can. Others might be offended, thinking that you are not recognizing their achievement as having any value. Psychology is a complex area, but the truth is that all children are always watching Mom and Dad's actions, reactions, opinions, choice of words, control or lack of self control, degree of affection or encouragement, and so on. Our children study us continually in early childhood. Some develop reactive behavior, like lack of neatness in defiance of our demands for order, or an opposite tendency if we as parents are not particularly neat. On the other hand, the kids will often emulate our behavior and some of their thinking and values are so deep in the subconscious that they can no longer understand their origin, but some of these tendencies came from their interaction with us, their parents. As I have gotten older, I have learned that a child brings home a certificate of achievement and really wants a pat on the head, even if they do not admit it. Afterwards, the certificate can be saved for awhile, then discarded when it is old news. Again, each parent must base this on their own individual child's need for reaffirmation or depending on their sense of security and confidence. That is my opinion, and there is no right or wrong answer, I suppose.

  • Link