Posted by kbuxman on August 17, 2009
Yesterday I went to a local restaurant and as I left I went into the rest room to wash my hands. The room was filled with at least seven women in a circle, surrounding a little girl who couldn’t have been more than two years old. Each of the women exclaimed how wonderful it was that the child had sat on the potty and performed her duties. Over and over the accolades continued followed by applause.
I couldn’t help laughing as I thought of how often children are applauded for the simplest things like going to the bathroom, taking their first step, or saying their first words.
As we get older the applause lessens. Let’s face it, when’s the last time you got a standing ovation just for sitting on the toilet, walking across the room or just saying “hello”?
As children, validation and encouragement are par for the course, unless of course you have been surrounded by individuals who didn’t have the ability to do so. I was blessed with a family that thought much of what I did was fun and they would display my precocious ways to anyone who would watch.
However, there came a point where my mother in particular would chastise me for the very things she thought were cute and adorable. Her favorite mantra was “You’re just too much, you can’t be acting silly all over the place. What will people say”?
My teachers, the good Sisters of St. Joseph, would consistently tell my mother I was bright, but liked to laugh too much. In addition, I would try to make other people laugh as well!
The good news is that I never stopped either of those traits, and ended up making a living from them as well.
Over the years I have found that many individuals forget their childhood exuberance in lieu of becoming adults. They often become terminally serious.
We all need applause, and often for the more mundane practices in life.
Get your co-workers together and give each other standing ovations for coming into work.
Applaud your husband or wife for making breakfast or just getting out of bed.
Clap for the clerk that bags your groceries, or for the hygienist that cleans your teeth.
Sounds crazy? Maybe, but I think if we all applauded each other more often there would be a lot less anger and hostility in the world.
Loretta LaRoche writes the Get A Life Column for the Patriot Ledger.
Earlier this year, I had to have a colonscopy. When I arrived, the nurse asked me for my identification.