Current Events > Is it possible to overpraise a child?

(+) Yeah! (+)

So, I have a young niece, and my family are often pretty free with praise. Normally I try to focus more on praising effort, like when she tries to do something even if she fails. But often times we'll give her general praise "You have a great memory, you're really smart, etc"

But I've been noticing something I've been a bit worried about lately. For one, she seems to be saying it herself a lot more often "I'm so smart, I remember everything" but also, she seems to be more reluctant to do things if she doesn't succeed immediately and tends to stick to things she knows she can do.

Her mum tends to quiz her on things she already knows well, and praise her when she gets it right, but when you ask her things she doesn't know well, or try to teach her something she doesn't know, she seems hesitant and will ask to go back to being asked questions she knows.

We share a house, so I spend a lot of time with her but ultimately I'm not her parent and it's not really my place to comment on my sisters parenting, but I find this behavior to be worrying. As someone who has severe anxiety and self worth issues, the idea of her developing some kind of issue around thinking she can't live up to expectations really worries me, but I don't know how to try to curtail it without stepping on my sisters toes.

Just wondering if anyone here with kids or young family members have any input.

The other thing is, being aware of my own issues with anxiety I don't know how much I'm overblowing this issue and projecting.

Yes, you can definitely offer too much praise and it can cause just as many problems as not offering enough.