Has your youngest lost his tooth? Why not celebrate this special moment? This new parenting trend – based on celebrating small moments – seems to have multiple benefits for the whole family. Explanations.
Congratulating your child is essential. Except that with our busy schedules, it is easy to forget the small everyday successes and focus only on the expected ones (progression to the next class, end of year show, etc.). A trend called “inchstones” reminds us of the value of celebrating all achievements – even the smallest.
Celebrate the “inchstones”, what for?
It was the Pinterest platform that spotted this emerging trend on the Internet. She explains that more and more parents are doing research to learn how to “celebrate“the small steps taken by their children.
Indeed, between September 2021 and August 2023, searches on the platform for “fis my first tooth” climbed 40%, and those on “end of school year party ideas” or “ideas for celebrating monthly milestones” jumped 90%.
Mini successes which turn out to be diverse and varied (being clean, eating by yourself, losing your first tooth, baking your first cake…) but which seem beneficial for toddlers and adults alike.
Celebrate the moment, whatever the child’s pace
While celebrating these small stages of development is a good thing, the concept might not be as new as it seems, says educator Kristene Gerring in an interview with HuffPost.
“Originally, I believe the term was used more by parents of children with special needs.”she said. “Because typical big achievements can take much longer to achieve, and because so much effort goes into these accomplishments, celebrating milestones along the way is a way toe talk about the joy the parents felt when they saw these small achievements“she informs.
The expert specifies that these micro successes, such as crawling instead of walking, help lead the child to the next level.
“These moments are incredibly important for these parents (of children with special needs), because it is a way to define and see the progress of their child, regardless of the pace at which they progress”, adds Kristene Gerring. Now, this practice has evolved, it “has more to do with the little moments in each child’s life, whatever their developmental path.”
On the other hand, be careful not to fall into the opposite excess: if praise focused on effort encourages children to learn from their failures/errors, praise based on “inherent talent or unavoidable event” are to be avoided. For example, if your child comes back with a gift from school – and not a gift made by him – there is no need to congratulate him.
“The celebration would no longer have meaning for the child and he would lose the ability to distinguish the value of this effort.warns the expert.
