[PARENTING] 3 Tips for Raising an Optimistic Child

On June 20, the Yew Chung International School of Beijing hosted one of its many regular informative free Parenting Workshops to parents, teachers, and members of the Beijing community, titled “The Optimist Child.”

Presented by professional coach Caroline Wu Beloe, the seminar incorporated the teachings of world renowned childhood development specialist Dr Martin Seligman. Subject matter focused on how to foster an optimistic attitude in children of all ages by emphasizing not on a perceived ability to achieve, but rather on curbing feelings of inadequacies. Ms Beloe explains that by doing so, children are less likely to become prone to depression and also become more confident in their daily lives.

The secret to fostering an optimistic child, according to Ms Beloe, is centred around the "Three P’s" principle: Permanence, Pervasiveness, and Personalizing. When communicating with children, regardless of whether the context is praise, criticism, or encouragement, incorporating this method changes the paradigm of a child’s thought from “doing well leading to feeling good” to the much healthier and emotionally sustainable “feeling good leading to doing well.”

Tap Read More below to learn the three secrets to raising an optimistic child!