Appreciation

At any age, we all respond positively to appreciation. Listening to an adult describe the rewards of acknoweldging individuals in the workplace, I immediately think back to my experience this week with a delightful 23-month old boy.

My young friend had a somewhat bumpy transition to being a big brother 2 months ago. Still in the baby/toddler stage himself, he had no way of understanding how a baby sister would impact his life.

As I held his baby sister and quieted her (first time Mom and Dad have left her with other than a family member), her big brother repeatedly wound up her musical mobile, brought over baby books, and waited patiently for me to be available.

When we were getting ready to write about today's events in his journal (I'll write more about that later), I looked at him and said, "I'm so proud of you. You did a great job as a big brother," he absolutely beamed. He was so obviously happy to be appreciated, and of course his behaviors are reinforced and will be seen again.

Don't forget to take the time, whatever the age of anyone you interact with today, to acknowledge and appreciate them, right where they are now, just as they are now. It's a powerful gift for us all to give each other.