Emotional Bank Accounts: Investing in Your Family's Heart

Good Friends; Strong Families The Podcast

In this episode of "Good Friends; Strong Families," dive into emotional bank accounts, a representation of the trust and safety built within family relationships through actions and words. Learn how to enrich your family life by making more deposits than withdrawals, ensuring your children and partner feel valued, loved, and genuinely appreciated. Discover actionable strategies to create an environment of resilience and connection, where every interaction becomes an opportunity to reinforce feelings of love, acceptance, and appreciation. Join us as we explore the importance of emotional deposits through specific, sincere compliments and the skillful avoidance of overly critical comments, laying the foundation for a lifetime of strong, healthy family bonds.
Look for and Compliment the Good - https://strengtheningfamilieslessons.org/

Daily Compliment Tracking:

• Every day look for things you can complement in each person. Put a mark each time you give a reinforcing compliment.

Steps to a Reinforcing Compliment: To change behavior or encourage better behavior regularly, you should incorporate these five steps:

1. Give it immediately: Don’t delay; provide the compliment right after the positive action occurs.
2. Be excited and sincere: Your enthusiasm shows its importance, and sincerity ensures the message is received as genuine.
3. Say exactly what the person did well: Be specific about what action or behavior you're praising.
4. Tell how it helps the person: Connect the action to its positive impact, making it meaningful.
5. Add a gentle touch: If appropriate, a small physical gesture like a pat on the back can reinforce your words.

STRENGTHENING FAMILIES PROGRAM

40 Phrases That Praise

Putting deposits in your kid’s “emotional bank account”:

REINFORCING COMPLIMENTS

1. I’m proud of you for…
2. Thanks for trying so hard on…
3. I’m pleased the way you…
4. How thoughtful of you to…
5. You’ve made real progress on…
6. You did a good job on…
7. Keep up the good work on…
8. You are a natural at…
9. I like it when you…
10. That was a really good try at…
11. That’s a great improvement on…
12. I’m pleased you…
13. I appreciate you being (so thoughtful, honest, persistent, kind, etc.)
14. You showed a lot of creativity at…
15. I’m impressed with the way you…
16. Thanks for being so (responsible, organized, etc.)

EXPRESSING LOVE

17. I love you.

1. We make a great team.
2. I have fun with you.
3. I’m glad you’re my son/daughter, husband/wife.
4. I enjoy spending time with you.
5. I’m glad you called.
6. If you’re concerned/sad/hurting, I’m here to listen; help me understand.
7. You mean a lot to me.
8. You’re right.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

26. Well done!

1. I like to hear your ideas.
2. Excellent work!
3. What a great job!
4. That’s a good point. Thanks for sharing.
5. I’m sure you can do it; you’ve done hard things before. (Or: I knew you could do it.)
6. Thanks for doing what I asked.
7. I couldn’t have done it without you.
8. Wow! Cool! Way to go!
9. That’s great! Give me five!
10. I like the way you’re