Page 24 - Perfect Parents, Perfect Children, and Other Fairy Tales

succeed. It could have been something as simple as
how they practiced every single day that week.

I am sure every child feels that way. If they feel that
their parents or siblings know they can accomplish

something, they will also feel like they can do it.
Children tend to rise to others’ perception of them.

I praised one young man at our daughter’s school
for being a real gentleman when he opened the door
for me one evening before a concert. After that, I

had a regular door-opener for several years. I also
told his mother, who was pleased to hear about

something good that her son had done, and since
her son heard it, it gave her a chance to praise him
too.

I praised another young man for the same thing.
But when I told his family, they laughed and told

me that was a surprise because he was really not a
gentleman. Yes, they said that in front of him! I
refuted that, saying that he was kind to me, and I

appreciated it. I also told them that their son is a
wonderful young man. Again they laughed. Maybe
he didn’t always act like it at home, but when he

was around me, he was always respectful and
polite. How much better would he have acted if

they had agreed with me?

Children need to hear us praise them to others.

They need to know that we are proud of them. They

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