You know what? Praise always came at a price for me growing up. It was a set up somehow almost every time. The person wanted something even MORE from me. Oh, that was great, now how about THIS? Do this now, since you proved you can do that. Or ... it was a situation where they would praise one thing I did well as proof I deliberately screwed up something else. They would say nice things ABOUT me to other people -- offering things I did well as proof of what great people or parents they were. Praise was never a good thing, or really about me.