The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids

by Jessica Joelle Alexander

Using a test of playfulness and a coping inventory, the researchers cross-checked the children’s playfulness and the quality of their coping skills. What they found was that there was a direct positive correlation between children’s playfulness level and their ability to cope.

Self-deception is the worst kind of deception and is a dangerous message to send to our kids.

Those who had been praised for intelligence said they thought it was an innate trait that was fixed, whereas the ones who were praised for effort thought it was something you could develop with work.

telling kids how smart they are boosts their confidence, but in the face of difficulty, it actually makes them lose confidence!

By talking about and nurturing the positive aspects of an unpleasant behavior, we are helping our child focus on the better story line too. This also prevents a lot of power struggles and leads to happier parents and children.

Once a child finds a better story line, try to repeat it so it sticks. But the solution should ultimately come from the child herself. This builds real self-esteem because she becomes the master of her own emotional responses. She isn’t told how to feel and act.