*Here are some tips to help you and your listeners become the smartest mom or dad in the room:*

• The first piece of advice will help you **win over a picky eater: **Be persistent. It takes somewhere between eight and 15 exposures for a kid to accept a new food. So says a study in the //American Dietetic Association//. So, if your tot won’t touch their green beans, don’t force them to clean their plate. Instead, just keep serving them green beans. Eventually, they’ll give in and take a bite.
• Admit your mistakes. **Marc Zimmerman, a professor of public health and psychology at the University of Michigan, says the way to gain true, lasting authority with your child is by being truthful and emotionally honest – not by hiding your mistakes. In other words, they’ll respect you more if you admit when you’re wrong than if you gloss over it. So if you yell at your son - and later wish you hadn’t – tell him! If you forgot about your daughter’s soccer game and feel bad about it, say so! If your kids see YOU admitting your mistakes, they’ll be more comfortable admitting theirs. Being willing to admit mistakes is a sign of courage.
• Learn the art of praise. **Yes, it’s good to congratulate your kid for a job well done, but rampant, unearned praise can be detrimental to your child. Why? Because it could cause them to go through life assuming they’ll be showered with compliments at all times. When that doesn’t happen, it’ll hurt their self-esteem. So what’s the key to good praise? Dr. Larry Koenig, author of //Smart Discipline//, recommends following this 3-part script: First, point out //exactly //what your child did to earn your praise – like “I see you’re helping your brother with his homework.” Then, label the action – in this case, it’s the homework help - with a positive characteristic – “That shows you really care about your brother.” Finally, express your approval for the action – “I like that you’re caring.” That way, your child knows exactly WHY they’re getting praised, and they won’t expect it when it’s undeserved.