Parents who display kids' achievements may be doing more than showing pride

Walk into a family kitchen, and you may find the refrigerator covered with colourful drawings, school certificates, photographs, tiny craft projects, or a child’s first medal. To some, it may look like a simple parenting habit. To others, it may seem like parents showing off their child’s achievements. But psychology suggests there can be much more behind this small everyday gesture. When parents put a child’s work somewhere everyone can see it, they are not only decorating the kitchen. They may be showing the child that their effort has been noticed and that what they create has value. The meaning, however, depends largely on what parents choose to celebrate: the child’s natural talent or the effort that went into the achievement.It can tell a child, "What you did matters”Children learn how to see themselves partly through the reactions they receive from the adults around them.