Fishful Thinking Thurs (& PSF) - Abby's first goal!

This past Saturday, Abby scored her first goal!

She kept her eye on the ball, got a little aggressive, and kicked that soccer ball about ten feet - straight into the net!

She was so excited to tell me about it...and so was Daddy. (It was the first game I missed - wouldn't ya know it? I was so bummed.I had a youth trip that morning, but Abby said that she'll kick another one for me this week - gives her some extra motivation!)

Kicking the ball around in the front yard with Dad and working hard during soccer practice is really paying off. She is loving every minute of it...and so is Daddy.


Pointing out the specific things she is doing like listening to her coach (and Dad), keeping up with the ball, staying focused on the game, remembering not to use her hands, and having fun out there seems to encourage and motivate her to learn, practice, and improve.

Fishful Thinking calls it giving Praise with a Purpose - Challenge yourself to use process praise with your child. Be as specific as you can. Praising the process takes some practice but the benefits to your child are limitless.

Instead of just saying "Good job!", I make an effort to give specific praise as well. As a teacher, I used this strategy with my students. Praising their process, ideas, and strategies motivated them to make a better effort on assignments whether it was an art project or a book report.

Even though I didn't get to see Abby score that goal in person, when I got home I was able to give her a big hug, high fives, and praise her process that led up to being able to make a goal. She seemed to appreciate that just as much as if I would have been there to see it.

Fingers crossed for another goal this Saturday!

*There are some cool new Optimism activities on the Fishful Thinking site like Positive Habits, My Body Can..., What Would You Do, & Inspire An Attitude of Gratitude - love that one!

Done any Fishful Thinking lately? Link up!

Hosted by Cecily and Mamarazzi