Leave it to a toddler to always applaud the simplest of things. My two year old will cheer me on when I'm eating a pancake, or when I'm drawing a stick figure with sidewalk chalk, or when I'm hugging her father. Her exact words every time: "Good job, Mama!"
She doesn't scold me for the dirty dishes still sitting in the sink from breakfast two hours ago, or for the endless piles of laundry accumulating in front of the washing machine, or even for the occasional burned supper meal...no, she would never think to criticize me! It's only positive words of encouragement, "Good job!" And it's soooooooo nice to hear. If I'm stressed from a situation at work, or if I'm overwhelmed at the list of household responsibilities awaiting me when I walk in the front door of our house after having worked a full day, or even if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed in the mornings, she never says, "Mama, that's a bad girl!" No, she grins at me with a wide grin only toddlers know how to show, her baby teeth mostly grown in, and blurts out excitedly, "Good job!"
Music to my ears.
Plus, it gives me that extra oomph I need to make it through whatever else I'm facing.
Everybody needs a toddler. Well, except for all of the hard work they can be. I'm talking about how uplifting they are and how unconditionally they love us.
I think we, as adults, need to give others more praise throughout our day. Whether it's to our teenager who has done a load of laundry or mopped the kitchen floor in addition to attending school all day, or our elementary-school-aged child who proudly displays her original piece of art...or even our spouse, who often needs that praise pick-me-up just as much as I do.
Make a concerted effort to give words of praise on a daily basis to others. It could be that one sentence they have needed to hear after a long and stressful day: "Good job!"
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