One way to measure the amount of praise and encouragement you are showering on your children is to grab a handful of pennies and place them in one our pockets (if you don't have pockets, try jars). And every time you say something nice to your child, for example, "Good for you!", "I'm so proud of you!" or "I love you", take one penny from your pocket and place it in the other (empty) pocket. By the end of the day you should have no more pennies in the first pocket. Conversely, for every negative comment, take a penny away from the second pocket.

Your child deserves to hear you sing his (or her) praises.

Just a thought.