Hard Workers

Shawn and Alysia read somewhere that telling your small children that they are "hard workers" versus smart, good (basically anything that doesn't require effort, per se) is the best form of feedback. We adhered to their request and after a while, started applying it to everyone. When Malcolm remembers to shut off the light, we tell him, "You're a hard worker Malcolm." If Mychael programs the remote control, we make sure to say, "Good job Mychael, you're a hard worker!" When I go an entire day without bitching (which doesn't happen often, unfortunately), they tell me, "Good job Mom--you are a hard worker." All things considered, in tribute to coming up with the phrase "You're a hard worker", I guess I should say, "Good job Alysia and Shawn. You're hard workers."



And to S+A's credit, this article would confirm the notion that success is earned via work versus "naturally afforded".