Encouragement

I’m a sucker for teeny tiny humans, especially when they do adorable things.

For those of you who can’t (or won’t; I’m not here to judge) watch the video, a fifteen-month-old little boy is clapping in front of a crowd of 500 boys, who immediately follow suit and cheer when he claps and are silent when he is silent.

My favorite thing about this is that the older boys are so wildly enthusiastic about making this little boy happy. I don’t know if you’ve been around teenage boys lately, but there seems to be an impression that they aren’t enthusiastic about anything besides sports and video games (I know my younger brothers want me to think this is true).

This is a lame stereotype crafted by lame people who don’t want anyone to know how beautiful the world is. The truth is that most people, whether they’re in their teens, twenties, or eighties, will do what they can to make a baby smile. They’ll play peek-a-boo. They’ll answer the toy phone. They’ll cheer when the baby takes a step or starts to talk.

At what point do we stop encouraging other people like that? When was the last time you praised a family member for doing something that seems menial? Did you thank your husband for filling up the car? Did you thank your mom for holding onto some of your more notable elementary school assignments? Did you tell your sister that you’re glad she’s alive and that she got out of bed today?

Life is hard. Go give someone you love a little (or a lot) of encouragement.

By Becca Barrus, Creative Director