something to think about

Yesterday I heard a discussion on TV, before the Oscars, about celebrities and their reaction to negative criticism.  Several people gave examples of bad reviews, years ago, that they still remember. Then the discussion turned to why do we (not just the famous, but all of us) tend to remember the negative, and one expert said that it's because we still have "prehistoric brains" - eons ago our ancestors learned from bad things that happened.  If someone died after eating a particular plant you didn't eat that plant; saber tooth tigers are harder to kill than bunny rabbits; if you put your hand in the fire it hurts.  You get the idea.  Negatives hurt but they also teach.  I know, when someone points out an error in something I've edited or proofed, I feel upset, but I also redouble my efforts to do better. This got me to wondering what we're doing to our children if they never get anything but "positive reinforcement".  I don't mean be cruel, but sometimes consequences are the best teacher.  When my son was two years old we had a lovely little dog named Heidi who had long floppy ears.  My toddler son couldn't resist grabbing those ears and pulling.  Poor Heidi just wined and took it (I smacked his hand and said NO).  He would remember for a while, then I'd catch him pulling her ears again.  Until finally one day, Heidi decided he was old enough to know better and she bit him.  Not hard, it didn't even break the skin, but he got the idea and never pulled her ears again.  I'm not sure what this says about our education system but I'm thinking about it.