Telling their children that they’re smart. In addition to the fact that there’s no reason to praise a child for being smart- that’s something they can’t control! they’re born with it! it’s not an achievement!- it’s linked to procrastination and debilitating perfectionism in children later in life. Children who are from an early age praised for being ‘smart’ will, as soon as they face a challenge they can’t solve easily, shut down. They haven’t been taught to work at things that they have difficulty with, and they haven’t been taught that hard work is a valuable and worthy thing. Instead of praising children for their intelligence, praise them for putting effort into things. Not only will it help their mental health, they’ll be better prepared for anything they have to do that isn’t easy.