We don’t want to shortchange the child who is excited about her accomplishment. Yet we do want to be sensitive to the feelings of the others. You’ll never go wrong if you describe what you think the child might be feeling (‘You must be so proud of yourself!’) or what the child has accomplished (‘A lot of practice and perseverance went into winning that medal’). “The trick is not to add, ‘I’m so thrilled, I can’t wait to tell Dad and all the neighbors.’ The passion and excitement you feel about a child’s achievement should be saved for a moment when just the two of you are together. It’s too
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