I don't remember praise being used period in my house growing up. It was always "why can't you be like so-and-so" or "you'll never amount to anything" or "you could have done better". Bah. I spent as many weekends with my grandparents as I could during the school years, and most of each summer. My grandma was more of a mother to me that the real one. I still miss her 30+ years later - oh my it's actually been 35 years since she passed away, 35 years exactly next week.