Positive Feedback Is Just As Valuable As Negative

I was once in a children’s museum with my niece. There was some kind of climbing structure she was old enough for, but her little legs were so short that she had trouble navigating. A sweet boy a couple of years older helped her through and disappeared before I could thank him.

I saw him again later with his family in a different part of the museum and went over to his mom. 

Me: “Your son was so…”

She got this look on her face like her son was frequently a troublemaker and she was used to getting complaints. When I continued to explain how sweet and helpful he had been, she was so relieved and then grateful that I had come over to thank them.

It doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day.