He's Not Motivated Part II

How we can strengthen our children’s effort and motivation to learn. Last week, I discussed the problem of a child’s lack of motivation and effort. In today’s post, I will offer five principles for helping children with this common, but often difficult, problem. When parents ask, “Why isn’t he motivated? Why doesn’t he care?” the answer is almost always,…

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He’s Not Motivated Part I

  As a child therapist, I am often told, “He’s not motivated. All he wants to do is watch television or play video games.” Parents urgently ask, “Why doesn’t he put more effort into his schoolwork? Why doesn’t he care?” Many parents believe that their child is “lazy.” The answer to these questions is almost always, “Because…

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Are Our Children Overpraised?

Children need praise. We all do. It has become common in recent years for parents to be warned about the dangers of praise. We are told that frequent praise, although intended to bolster a child’s self-confidence and self-esteem, may instead create increased anxiety and ultimately undermine her initiative and confidence. Many parent advisors are especially concerned, even appalled,…

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