Raising over-praised liars

If you missed it, this NPR interview with Po Bronson, author of a new book titled "Nurture Shock," is worth a listen. Bronson talks about why research tells us that praising our children, especially with the usual empty evaluative praise, can backfire -- and how much more we do for our kids when we make substantive observations (and, I would add, ask substantive questions) about their work and actions. He also talks about why all kids experiment with lying and how to help children keep it honest.