With this same thought in mind American parents avoid, if at all possible, to criticize the child, to mock his tastes, or to constantly tell him how he should handle this or that situation. Trial and error is the preferred mode of learning. One can learn more from one's mistakes than from one's successes. There is no great stigma attached to failure during childhood, at least not in the ideal model. Just the opposite method of instruction is common in the French model.
Parents train their children to defend themselves well, that is verbally.
If he is too slow in relating something, I may even finish his sentences for him. This encourages him to better formulate his ideas before he speaks. The ideal American parent would do just the opposite. When she dresses herself for the first time, I will compliment her, regardless of the lack of congruity in her choice of colors and fabrics. When the child reaches adolescence, the situation seems to reverse.