Excerpt from “99 Tips for Talking with Your Teenager:”
Tip #20: Yelling gets attention, but directs it at you, instead of the mistake or the bad decision! Let’s face it, who finds it easy to think when someone is yelling at us?
Commentary from ACS Executive Director, Dr.Philippe Rey:
Use positive reinforcement for positive behavior whenever possible; it is far more effective than criticism or punishment for negative behavior. Words that belittle can hurt your adolescent’s self-esteem. The most useful tools in raising young people are love, compassion, sensitivity, praise understanding, and communication.