Hurdles like this coupled with my maternal instincts to want to see my children happy , make it very tempting to forego constructive criticism altogether and heap praise on them instead . It ’ s much more pleasant , after all , to see my kids smile than pout .
But praise is a cheap dopamine shot at best – the same kind of dopamine we experience when we receive social media likes . They are short-lived , and like any cheap drug , we build a tolerance to the chemical boost . To achieve the same high , we will need double the likes , double the compliments .
Truth is , no matter what your child ’ s personality profile is , nobody enjoys constructive criticism . “ The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism ,” says Norman Vincent Peal , in his book , The Power of Positive Thinking . Learning to accept criticism takes practice . I ’ m sure you know a few grownups , perhaps at work or even in your family , who have never learned to take constructive criticism . They make any form of honest communication difficult . But if you can teach your kid how to channel improvement feedback ( I prefer this term to negative feedback ) in a healthy and productive way , he will be way ahead of the game of life . Following are five reasons why constructive feedback can behoove your child in ways that praise could never .
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