Dear Amy: My wife and I have a 4-year-old son who is interested in trying various “pee wee” sports. He has started playing T-ball and soccer.

Both my wife and I are pretty good athletes. In fact, we met in college while playing intramural sports.

Our son is (how to put it?) kind of a klutz. His attention wanders, his coordination isn’t quite there, and overall she and I agree that he doesn’t seem to have the makings of being an athlete. (We’re fine with this, by the way.)

Our issue is that after he comes off of the field, he asks us if he “did good,” and definitely wants his praise, even when it’s obvious that he did not do well.

I guess we could lie to our son, but we don’t feel comfortable doing that. Doesn’t over-praising a child create problems?

— Dad in a Jam

Dear Dad: I don’t think it is possible to over-praise an enthusiastic 4-year-old. But you need to ask yourselves if he is asking for praise because he is anxious and wants reassurance, or because he thinks he is awesome and is looking for agreement.

You might hedge by asking him some questions: “Did you have a great time out there today? “Did you try your hardest?” “Did you have your listening ears on when the coach was talking?”

If the answer is “yes,” then I’d say that he is a winner. High-five him all the way to the car.

Also find genuine good traits to point out: “We saw you running really hard to get to the ball.”

Please don’t label your son as a “klutz.” Children do develop at different rates, and here is where I make my standard pitch for exposure to music and drama as being invaluable and inclusive experiences.

You can email Amy Dickinson at [email protected] or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068.