My daughter got a haircut. However, when she was out to play, she was a subjected to a lot of criticism by her friends. As expected she came back home upset. As I was the one who insisted on the haircut, (Which is really nice btw...) I was immediately transported back to my childhood. And all the criticisms I faced.
I tried to explain to her that I am not any lesser just because someone decides to criticize me. The criticism is not of me, but it is a display of critical thinking from him.
By criticizing me he is only attracting attention to his closed mindedness and his thoughts, and not my state of being.
I used to spend a lot of time trying to adhere to what people thought I should be like. Trying to appease one and all. Until I realized that by doing that I am not really fighting for my self worth. Their liking or disliking me is not a proof of what I am, its a comment on their thought process. I can't control their thoughts. I can however control how I will take each comment people make on me.
Quoting, American writer-philosopher, Elbert Hubbard--"To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing."
Fortunately that's not how I want to spend my life.
I tried explaining this to my 9 year old. She didn't quite grasp the concept. I didn't want to push it.
She will figure this out sooner or later. Just the way I did.
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