I actually tend to agree with you. I feel we sometimes put too much emphasis on a child’s self-esteem, to a fault, in fact. If every single time a child does anything at all, we reward him, then when he really accomplishes a difficult task or masters a difficult concept, the Yasher koach will be rather hollow. There must be a p’shoroh, middle of the road, where a child is encouraged but not always being rewarded. It kind of gets annoying to hear a teacher say, “Wonderful job, Moisheleh – you stayed in your seat for two whole minutes.” Babies need such encouragement, older kids need to learn appropriate behavior, both by example and by being taught what is expected of them, no ifs, ands, or buts.
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