Are You Raising One of the Next Generation of Hoodlums: Always Doing Your Best

Dr Joyce Teal Make it clear to your son that you have the expectation that he will always do his best. Assist and encourage him to internalize this concept to the extent that he is displeased with himself when he does not put his best foot forward. You want him to experience the satisfaction of knowing that he has done the very best that he can. ALWAYS. Throughout school, the most important parental role of all is to shape your child’s attitude toward learning and school, to communicate high expectations, and to help your child set goals and solve learning problems. And setting expectations doesn’t mean telling your child, “We are bound and determined that you are going to get into Harvard.” It means sending the message that doing the best that he can is important for all the things he is going to be able to do in life and that one’s best efforts will usually yield a desired outcome, an outcome that you will be proud of. A study undertaken at the National Institute of Mental Health found that children lack brain connectivity to make decisions on the same organizational and critical thinking levels that mature adults do....