"Atta girl!" "Super, sweetie!" "Good job!" "You're sooo smart!"  Sound familiar? All you have to do is attend any kid sporting event - hockey game, volleyball, soccer, football, swim meet-and you'll get my drift. Parents are there to support their kids-and "Yay!" that they are - but the accolades and praising for any effort is so predictable.

Don't get me wrong, there's no harm in giving kids praise every now and then - just as long as you recognize our words are not always beneficial in improving their behavior, motivation or self-esteem. In fact, too much praise of any sort can be unhealthy, and several recent studies from prestigious institutions reveal that the wrong kind of praise can backfire and even impede our kids' progress. In this article, we will explore those important studies..as well as look at the most beneficial ways to acknowledge our kids....Read more to learn ...

• How Praise Can Backfire
• 4 Signs Your Kid May Be Over-Praised
• The Right Ways to Praise
• 3 S's of Effective Praise

 (Answer: C )

It's never too early to start socializing your baby. And even though you wouldn't expect a younger child to sit still for long, what you want to show him is that eating together can be a (mostly) pleasant experience. 

Of course, to keep it more agreeable for the rest of you, take the edge off by giving him dinner first. Then when you're ready to eat, let him sit at the table with a snack so he can watch how the rest of the family interacts at mealtime.