maybe i'm not amazed

when did "amazing" become the non-descriptive adjective of choice for smaltzy tv and film compliments? have we really run out of meaningful qualities to point out? especially in the single-parent dating setting. the non-parent one has to give some little romantic speech and as they are reeling off reasons the reasons they're in love there is a horrifying moment where they call the kid "amazing" for no particular reason. they showed the little bastard for 5 seconds during a kite-flying montage, but something about him amazed them during that time. it's like the director cut the scene where this toddler was teaching abstract algebra to the adults and we're supposed to make the connection anyhow. nobody would call a completely average 5-year old "amazing" in real life, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in movies. am i the only one who notices this? do people not know what "amazing" means? amazed is the feeling you get during the imax film where they skydive from the space shuttle or the guy climbs everest with one leg or when you convince your girlfriend that derek jeter is gay. is the parent-dater character awe-struck by the way this kid eats play-doh? being amazed isn't an everyday thing, and it certainly isn't a fit description for totally average and boring, though cinematically adorable, children.