A friend of mine was telling me about a middle-school-age boy he was working with. The boy said nobody had ever told him he was talented, even though he clearly was. After the compliment, you could see that it was the motivation he needed to excel even more. While this is a sad story, so are the stories where parents heap praise on kids when their kids clearly KNEW they didn’t do a very good job at something. As a parent, you and I can create a trusting relationship just in the way we praise and coach our kids. The reality is that they’re not always going to be good at something. Just like they’re not always going to be bad at something. But use each situation to help our kids grow.

Suggested Reading: Psalm 144:12