Praised Lately?

I was happily eating dinner in front of the TV while my family watched "I Not Stupid Too" (a Singapore film written and directed by Jack Neo). Halfway thru the show, I was choking with tears and could barely finish my meal...

The story revolves around parent-child communication that explores the different relationships between generations, and the misunderstandings that occur. The movie also revealed the harshness of Asian parents who single-mindedly demand academic excellence from their children and how children in turn had to cope with pressure from home and school. And it ended with a narration by a 9-year-old boy:

• When we were younger, our life was full of praises, encouragement and support no matter how bad we did (think: burps after milk, 1st few steps, 1st few words, etc etc). Back then, life was so happy and yet, it was always forgotten and often taken for granted.
• Not sure how and when it started but eventually, the praises, encouragement and support turned into punishment, scoldings and even beatings in some cases. Eventually, the doors to our hearts closed even to those who were supposed to be the closest to us; our parents.
• A word of encouragement and little praises are not difficult to say. But often, one chooses to focus only on all the bad things.
• In every child, there live an angel and a devil. Focus on the angel (the good things) and the best behaviors and characteristics will be shown in its full potential. Focus on the bad... vice versa.
• If a child is indeed "rotten", we should focus on bringing out his/her good qualities. If you throw away the entire rotten apple, there will be none left. But throw just the bad portion away... you could still salvage the good side.

Anyway, the movie was sooooooo tear jerking and meaningful that I thought it's worth documenting... (as a matter of fact, think I'd buy the DVD)... Who knows... these tips could come in handy later on in life.

So when was the last time someone ever praised you?