During childhood, I was a child who was not quite ordinary, a bit slow witted in every way.Starting with my three elder brothers down to my third cousins, in a house full of talented kids, I happened to be the only child who wasn’t.
Whenever I received my report card, I felt I wanted to crawl into a hole.
I just kept on feeling dispirited.
For this slow witted child, my mother had a secret to cheer me up.
That is, to pour praises on me.
For me who wasn’t a good student, good looking, or couldn’t do anything well, her compliments made me feel so embarrassed.
“I have never seen a child who ate so well!”
“Oh,our Katie greets so well!”
“Katie,your voice is so loud and clear, it is just pleasant to hear.”
Regardless of time and place, she praised me abundantly;that I greet well, my voice is loud and clear, that I am getting taller because I eat well.
I don’t think there would be a child who grew up with much praises like me
I received much more praises than my elder brothers who were top students.
When I was in third grade, there was a reading contest.
It is like a storytelling contest held nowadays.
My mother suggested me to participate in it.
It was just after I have finished my midterm, and I felt daunted.
I’ve never thought of myself doing a storytelling in front of others.
But my mother kept on persuading me.
“In ever saw a child who could read so excitingly like you. You will definitely do well.”
She wasn’t just praising me. I felt her sincere heart.
Looking at my mother’s face, I started to think that I could do this.
I believe the story that I read was “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
I used all my energy and told the story. As if I was the hare, I jumped, and strolled like the tortoise.
The result was grand prize. This was the first award that I have received except for the awards for perfect attendance.
That day, for the first time in my life, I finally understood what confidence was about.
Source from : ‘A landscape with mother’ / LME and others
