What Praise Does For A Child

(Excerpt from my book: There in the Midst The Mysterious Exposed

"I have no memory of when I started to school or any early learning experience. I do remember my first encourager: her name was Ms. Helen. She was an elementary school piano teacher. She was the first person who praised me. I’m not sure how I ended up taking piano lessons.

My mother’s sisters were into singing and piano so I guess I took the interest from them.I don’t remember what I did to cause Ms. Helen’s comments but I have never forgotten her words. “Ashley, you are improving. If you work a little harder at this you could get good at it.” I bottled those words. I hung onto them because no one had ever told me that I could do anything."

You can make or break a child by what you say. I needed someone to speak something good into my mind besides the self-defeating thoughts that tormented me. I found something to grab on to. I wasn't very good at it. I couldn't remember the exercises from one lesson to another.

Ms. Helen could have told me I was a failure, that I would never master the piano. Instead she chose to challenge me to work harder at it.All along the way, there have been people like her. They came at the right time. They had the right word.What I once thought was luck was GRACE.Because God gifted me with this lady, she provided a tool that would impact my life forever.

From that day, a work ethic rose up in me that was unbeatable. I knew anything I set my mind to do, I could conquer it with hard work. I've never expected anything to be handed to me. My attitude was always, "I'll make my own way."

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