Monday, February 13, 2006

Intrinsic motivation vs. extrinsic motivation

Mom Two Ways
I've been reading Creative Correction (whenever I can get a chance!) and I've found some great nuggets:

"While it's important that our kids learn to follow our instructions, they must also understand the reasons behind our restrictions and standards so they may choose, by an act of their will, to obey. This is the real heart of obedience."

"Our objective as parents should be to gradually progress from motivating our children externally--correcting the flesh or their actions---to motivating them internally, inspiring their hearts."

My friend and I were talking about this yesterday. How, as adults, we are both very externally motivated. We do things because we know someone is watching us, or we want the "prize" at the end. We don't do things because it comes from the heart. I had never really thought about that....by teaching our children to "just behave", we are not helping them get their motivation right.

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