Some of my relatives live in the US where they are bringing up their children. One thing that strikes me is that they never reprimand their children for wrong-doing, and for every small thing the kid does, they lavish extravagant praise. Children as young as 3 do know when they have done something wrong (even dogs do). So some form of reprimanding must be done.
As for extravagant praise, by the time they are 8 or 10, they too can see it is not merited....picking up clothes from the floor does not merit a national award. I think such spurious praise damages self esteem as much as denigration. Children have no motivation to improve.
Of course the other extreme is dangerous notwithstanding what Amy Chua says.
I have brought up two fairly balanced, fairly happy children. I still have no idea how it must be done, but one thing I am sure-- there is no model, no procedure, no right and wrong way for bringing up children.
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