The best compliment you ever had.

[NovemberMorn]

Just to cheer myself up after reading a really sad thread.
Can you remember and tell us the best compliment you have ever been given?
Go on, blow your own trumpet, we dont do it often enough.

We were going through a really hard time with money when our kids were 3 and 5 but we’d saved up to go out for a meal.

We were sat playing little games, keeping them busy, laughing with each other and after we’d finished our meal a man came over and said he’d paid our bill because we seemed like a really happy family.

He said he’d lost his wife the Christmas before and watching us had reminded him of the happy but not always easy times. It made me cry and has done again now thinking about it!

I wish we’d asked his name, he lived near York and his son was a michelin star professional chef- it would be amazing if anyone knew who he was I’d love to thank him again!

I’ve been told by a few people that I’m the cleverest person they know. One I went to school with and was flattered, but one was more recently and I was really chuffed with it because it’s obvious when you’re clever at school (and it was a big part of my identity) but I didn’t think it would come through the same way as an adult for anyone to notice, so I was really pleased they thought so!

My children’s head teacher said I was an amazing mum. I was the mum with SEN children who were struggling in school, getting assessed and causing a load of EHCP paperwork. I was secretly worried my parenting was being judged every time they weren’t being compliant, easy children and I felt bad for using up time and resources. So it was good to get a compliment at that point.

Dh said I was an amazing mum the other day. For someone who barely ever throws an actual compliment my way, it was lovely.

I am unremarkable in every way so I don’t receive a lot of compliments but my 3 year old son recently, when saying our goodnights, said “I’m so proud of you mummy”.

I know he doesn’t really get what that means, but he obviously understands it’s a good and special thing to tell someone and I for the first time ever felt I was doing a good job at something if that’s what his mind is thinking. I took that as a compliment and I’m never going to forget how that made me feel.

From my staff ‘you are gentle but strong and make us feel safe’

From my children ‘mummy looks after us and children who don’t have kind mummies, she looks after all the children’ and when lying in between us in bed on a Sunday morning ‘I’m safeeeeee’

From my partner ‘you’ve got the prettiest face and best vagina (fill cruder word) I’ve ever seen’ 😂

A customer told me I had amazing comic book hair (it was long and bright orange) and a much younger colleague said he kept forgetting I was old…A back handed compliment but from a 17 year old to a woman in her early 50’s I’ll take it!

Shortly before she passed away my mum said "I think you're amazing" I treasure those words.

"You have a really nice smile!" (from a seven-year-old).

"You know, you look weirdly like Anne Hathaway". At the time, I didn't know whether to be offended, as she was playing a TB-infested prostitute in Les Misérables. I was quite pleased when I looked her up afterwards, though! I still get a lot of people telling me that I look like her now.

Little comments like that perked me up after years of being bullied relentlessly about my appearance. And you know what? Aside from braces, I haven't had anything done to change it.

Also, "You're a hell of a woman". I am surprisingly strong for a small woman, and fearless when dealing with livestock. People, not so much!

At parents evening my teacher said that if his daughters turned out to be half the person I am, he’d be one happy man.
i will never forget that.

It has been questioned whether I was DD’s mum or her sister more than once, loved that! Also my DMum has been mistaken for DD’s mum, she was equally pleased. Neither was meant as a compliment, but was taken as such.

These compliments are all so lovely and have such a positive impact on the recipient, I’ve decided I’m going to make a point of complimenting folk more often!

It’s so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day lives and forget to acknowledge what we admire in others.

I interviewed an older man for what was then the eqiuvalent of a disabled Blue Badge as part of my job. He was lovely and highly charismatic, I really liked him

I was later sent a copy of the letter, through the department, of one he had sent to my Director, praising me far more than I deserved but saying that he was heartened to find an official who didn't treat him condescendingly and 'like a child' but with respect as equals. He signed it with his very considerable list of awards, OBE, DSO, MC etc.

Later found out that he was a real war hero, involved in all sorts of secret stuff. Wonderful man and that was much appreciated.

Two different people, quite a few year's apart, both described me as the most confident person they knew. When I don't feel very confident I remember that as I obviously do a good job of faking it sometimes!

I’m a bloke and we don’t get compliments tbh. The only one I remember is one of my kids once said I was a “banging dad”. That was nice.

im genuinely trying to think of any others at all.

someone once liked my jacket…

Some husbands get a bit ...odd... when their wives or girlfriends get a compliment from another man.
A few years ago I was at a friends wedding with my husband. When the photographer had finished his work, he came over to me as I sat with my husband and asked if I would come to his studio, my husband could obviously accompany me; he asked if he could take some photos of me to put in his studio. I was thrilled; well, who wouldn't be.
I thanked him and told him I would think about it. When he had gone, my husband was muttering that he 'obviously fancied me,' which he certainly didn't. He was a friend of the bride and had spoken to her about it before he even approached me.
Anyway...I never went.
I have to say that's one of the things my DH has said that has really irritated me.

No need to be a dick

Aww come on, I did say it was a good thread to blow our own trumpets. 😘There are enough threads that are deadly serious on here lately.

@TheEarlofButties I love that he did it quietly and spontaneously. Rather than all the performative virtue signaling we see today.
x

Another one. My university professor said I was the most talented mathematician they had had on the undergraduate course for many years. My life is car crash now though 🤷‍♀️

The only one that sticks with me was a man I worked with, and had a brief relationship with, telling me he really liked my ways.

Two immediately spring to mind, both from old men.

One in Dublin, who said (and this is a direct quote), "to be sure, you're a lovely girl".

And one in the queue in Booths who said, "you've made my day in that lovely dress".

Both delivered in a very cheerful, gentle and affirmative way.

The other time I was waylayed in a bathroom by a group of women who loved my dress and insisted on my trying lipstick to complete the look.

We’d had a BiL staying over Christmas - a BiL who’d been having a very difficult time at home, coming up to a divorce (not his fault) - and the home anyway, although potentially a very nice house, was always dirty and incredibly messy, since SIL (who had never worked during their 10+ year marriage) just couldn’t be arsed.

After he left, dh said, ‘Thank you for making a nice home’ - and he didn’t mean the decor or my standard of housework!

My teen daughter didn’t say anything but came and gave me a very big long hug after I’d had some sad news. It was very heartfelt and very lovely.