We root for them as they try to hit that ball with that big old plastic bat. The fact that we are excited and proud about the simplest things they do is crucial to children. Praise is a tool many of us use to let children know that we are excited about their achievements. Many of us work hard to praise our children regularly. Some of us have come from families in which we got very little attention or positive feedback and it has been a big step to learn to praise our children.
Praise is often conditional.
The struggle, the falling down, the mistakes, the hard work leading up to the achievement are not acknowledged nearly as much. Praise is often inaccurate. Praise that is not descriptive of what the child is actually doing can convey to children that we're really not paying close attention. Praise emphasizes external validation over internal feelings of satisfaction. Children who have grown accustomed to praise can lose touch with the inherent feelings of accomplishment that come with their achievements.