Raising an ambitious child helps him or her become a successful adult.
Here’s advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
- Love and accept your child unconditionally, and keep your expectations high. Don’t expect perfection, but do look for empathy, integrity and generosity.
- Support your child’s passions.
- Don’t compare your child to anyone else, or discuss ways to be better at something. Talk about when a child has already done better and shown beneficial skills.
- Praise your child’s efforts, rather than just the achievement.
- Show a child that no one wins all the time, and that the child should strive to do better next time.
- Encourage the child to take control of his or her life, instilling confidence to deal with problems and make decisions.