Last night I received the most wonderful complements about being a working single mom for the last 11 years. They came from someone who knows me very well. Accepting complements is soooo difficult. I have a few pat (socially inept) responses to complements, finely tuned over 50 years: (1) I pretend I didn’t hear it (a cop out, but I never said I had great social skills); (2) I say something like, “Oh, I am actually terrible at (for example, screwing in a light bulb) so you clearly don’t know how badly I screwed in that light bulb.” (a not-so-affirming response to the giver); or (3) I say something back about how great the giver of the complement is without acknowledging the initial complement. Do you ever do the same thing? Why is it so hard to accept complements? We long for them. We fish for them. But when we get one we completely down play it. Are we conditioned that we’re not good enough and can always do better, so why complement us? Is it we’re so insecure that it’s hard to believe a complement? Tough questions and too big for me on a Sunday morning. The bigger question .. what did I do last night when I was “receiving” the complement? I said “Thank you so much.” (It came out very quietly but it did come out!) I guess I’m still able to learn social etiquette at my advanced age … thanks Ms. Manners. So, in the year of 50, I’m going to make every effort to be better at accepting complements (that assumes I get any more complements this year!) Try it and let me know how it goes for you!
Have a wonderful Sunday! And to the giver, thanks again for the complements!
theyearof50 
Now that you’ve articulated this and posted it in your blog, you may find yourself handling complements better!! I know you’ve given me food for thought 😉
Here to test that muscle, my admirable friend. You were, at age ten, the most alert and incisive child I knew, with an honesty and self-awareness that was humbling and sobering to those of us who wanted to ignore the whistle of incoming adulthood. You *knew* before all of us, and set about to tackle the mess of life with the steady hand of an ER surgeon. You are and will always remain a bright constant in the night of the world. Receive this without protest. It’s true.