Good boy / good girl

> Getting out of the good boy/ good girl zone.
>
> The usual and all too common way to encourage kids when they are doing all what they are asked to do is to say:
> "good boy/ good girl"
>
> Now does it really do any good to the boy or to the girl? I am not sure. In fact I am rather convinced of the opposite an here are 9 reasons for it :-)
>
> - is there such thing as a good boy/girl? Good in which sense? Hard to say. Often what is good is the sense that he/she has done what he/she was asked to do.
>
> - if one boy is good, are they all good? Often not. What does that mean? That boy is bad? This girl is bad? As much as "good boy" sounds nice and appreciative, how does sound the opposite message, which is implied though it is not said?
>
> - what are we wanting to say when we say "good boy/ good girl"? Something like: well done - thanks for following the instruction. In other words, it could translate into: thanks for being obedient.
>
> - could it mean some other thing? Probably - It could mean thanks for doing your best, thanks for trying hard, thanks for listening, thanks for being courageous, etc.... I guess it would depend on the situation and it would require a bit of judgment to find out what is good in the given situation.
>
> - and that is another reason why the expression "good boy/good girl" - though convenient - is in fact just that: an all-to-convenient, fit-it-all expression that may work well for parents or educators but not the kids.
>
> - kids need not being labelled or boxed. On the other hand behaviors and attitudes can.
>
> - I should give you another 3 reasons. Or may be you could help me think about it?
>
> Great day friends :-)
>
>
>
>
>
> Ludovic Odier
> OutdoorInAsia
> Sent from my iPhone