Stop Posting About Life & Start Living It: My Thoughts About the Mother Upset Because Another Mom Touched Her Child Opinion Parenting

I've been a bit lazy on the 30Seconds front. It wasn't on purpose; I was just biding my time, waiting for the right topic to hit me, sitting under a bridge like a troll waiting for the next thing to cross so I could pounce. Today (no pun intended), while reading an article posted by the "Today" show on Facebook, it literally smacked me in the face. 

In a nutshell, a mother was upset by the way another mother treated her and child. Her 2-year-old pushed another child down and then tried to high-five the child. In return, the other mother swatted her child's hand away. (A denied high-five? I know, it's so upsetting.) She then told her child that he didn't need to touch the child and walked away. Now, I'm a grown man and I don't think my first inclination would be to give a high-five to the person who just knocked me on my butt, but that's just me. You can decide for yourself if and when it ever happens. Hint: it probably will. But, that's not what this post is about.

Instead of talking to the woman or contacting her later, she went home and posted about it, in the process, making the entire thing about her crying and her son's recently diagnosed high-functioning autism. I'm not diminishing what she and her son are going through. I know how it is to live with an invisible illness. Frankly, it sucks. If you've read any of my other tips, you know that one of the best defenses against something like this (at least the one that I have), is making it not be the center of your universe. Sure, you can talk about it, that does wonders if done constructively, but you can't wallow in it.

No, I'm not here to pick on this mother. To each his own. She made her decision. Apparently, she's happy with it. It's all good. This is about anyone and everyone who finds themselves in this type of situation. Maybe you got a bad meal at a restaurant. Maybe someone denied your coupon at the local grocery store. Did a teacher treat your child badly? I could go on and on but you get the point (I hope). Sooner or later, something is going to affect you or your children. Something is going to knock you on your butt. My ask is this: DON'T GO HOME AND POST ABOUT IT.

Talk to the manager at the restaurant. Talk to the owner of the grocery store. Go to the principal or the school board. Stop making it all about YOU. Stop looking for acceptance or sympathy online. Stop making everything about notoriety and self gain. Life isn't about any of that. It's about living and learning and growing. I think the woman in the above article took the wrong route. I think that THIS is a lesson that she could have taught her son. I understand her thinking but, next time, try this:

Resolve the problem first. Then, go home and post about it. Live your life and stop posting about it before it flies right by you. Maybe people would like you even more if you give them the whole story instead of just venting about something and not solving the initial problem. Make it your mantra. 

Stop posting about life and start living it.

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