Does the bare minimum deserve praise?

Question

We can look at this from a perspective of relationships such as men doing chores or allies such as white people saying they don’t say the n word even in a song to someone saying they don’t cheat in relationships 
I would love to keep the focus on adults as praising the bare minimum is helpful for toddler/kids/etc
But strictly for adults, when should we provide praise for bare minimum tasks?

Accepted Answer

I don’t think it deserves praise, but it does deserve appreciation and recognition. 
While my husband is expected to help with our children, I thank him for it. When I cook dinner and do his laundry while keeping our kids alive, he thanks me for it. 
We don’t do it for every task, but we try to do it as often as we remember. Being and feeling appreciated is different than being praised.

Answer

What is bare minimum for one may be all out effort for another. So lets praise people for doing what they can as it may be the best they have right now.

Answer

I really hate how low we set bars. Individually I get praising people for where they’re at and for growth and progress. I really hate how much we accept on a societal level though. 
A couple of examples:
Usually when I watch a show on Netflix i enjoy I look up the actors to see if they’ve done anything else. It’s become me just crossing my fingers no one has sexual assault allegations listed on Wikipedia. It’s ridiculous how little that is to expect, and how often that standard isn’t met. 
Another one that kills me are the constant posts like this,
LADIES! Find yourself a REAL man. Someone who will BABYSIT his children. #marriedtoaking
It’s just absolute bullshit.

Answer

I mean for a lot of things it can depend on the person and what it's about. I've struggled with clinical depression for 14 years and generalized anxiety since I had our oldest (7 years), while also going through PPD and PPA after both pregnancies. Some days all I can do is the bare minimun (get the kids off to school and pick them up and feed them some form of dinner).
Obviously there are times where you absolutely should expect more of people, but for a lot of other things I think it really is just dependent on the person and the situation.

Answer

It may not deserve praise, but at the same time it likely doesn’t deserve someone being overly critical of it. People have to start somewhere, and personal growth doesn’t always move at the pace one might want it too. 
Not on social issues, but on the subject of work ethic or drive, I have seen entry level employees or interns start work out of school and have to adjust to a new pace of life and personal responsibility. A good leader sets reasonable expectations and holds people accountable so that they can grow confidently into roles… if there is too much criticism the person becomes defeated and can sometimes shut down or even regress to old ways. I think the same goes for social issues in that it is important to recognize when people are making an effort and have good intentions even when they maybe still stumble

Answer

I don’t believe you have a “bare minimum” I think everyone can/will achieve whatever they can as long as they put forth the effort. 
For some people “the bare minimum” is brushing their teeth; but that depressed person didn’t for weeks and struggled to that day, and for that I’m proud. 
Another is, people considering formula feeding “bare minimum” but, don’t understand the thousands of dollars for formula, bottles, bottle brushes etc. the time washing, sanitizing and drying bottles. Getting up and making them, and waiting for them to get to the correct temperature. While that’s bare minimum to some it’s not to others. 
Someone doing simple shores might seem bare minimum, but the depression made it to where they didn’t get out of bed all week. 
I don’t think everyone’s bare minimum is the same and should be treated the same. 
I say thank you to let people know I appreciate them, and the little things to me means the most. The things that are under appreciated and over looked as simple tasks.

Answer

I thank my husband for doing small tasks and he thanks me also 🤷🏻‍♀️

Answer

I’m certainly not going to praise you for doing dishes. We are a family, there are things that need to be done in the house we both live in. I will thank you and move on. Just like I make the bed because it needs to be done, and don’t expect anything for it, but it’s nice to hear thanks. If we have been busy for the week and my husband cleans the whole house while I’m at work on the weekend, I will emphatically thank him, and probably mention it a few times the rest of the day because I really appreciate it. I also wouldn’t ever willingly be in a relationship where anyone is doing the bare minimum 🤷🏼‍♀️

Answer

I think every good action deserves praise, no matter how small. It does depend on the topic, but as a general rule - I'll praise my husband for doing the dishes & my son for saying thank you.

Answer

Yes. Never take anything for granted

Does the bare minimum deserve praise?

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