...Lest Ye Be Judged

So, today I had a big realization.  And it was epically big.  And shameful.

I am such a snobby judger.

Sure, apparently some things I am very open-minded about.  Breast vs. Bottle.  Co-Sleeping (not my thing, but do whatever you need to to get more sleep!).  Parenting styles.  You know, all the little things us moms stress about on a daily basis.

And then I read an article linked on Facebook.

It started off talking about judging others.  And the first paragraph pissed me off so much, I wouldn't read farther (where she apparently talked about how you shouldn't judge others). It made me so angry.  How dare she judge my decision to formula feed when she had no idea of my health needs?  How could a person be so nasty!

And, that would be a big freaking arrow pointing right at me. Judgy McJudgerson.

I make snap judgments all the time.  All the freakin' time.  I assume I know what other drivers are thinking, or why my neighbor upstairs has to use the darned vaccuum cleaner on her hardwood floors (I love you still, Sarah!), or why people would go to Walmart vs. the infinitely cleaner Target, or why people drink themselves into oblivion, etc.  I could totally go on, but you are already getting an idea of what a crappy person I am, so I don't need to go any further.

So, there I was, judging this writer, and not giving her the time to hear her whole story out.  And I judged her on the first paragraph alone. I was pretty sickened by my behavior.  I couldn't even read the rest of the comments because I was so ashamed.

What have I learned from this?

1.  Give people some time to get their words out before making up your mind about them.  Sometimes, things don't start out too well, but they can get better.  Not all relationships are going to start out as great as they did with your husband!

2. When making a snap judgment, figure out if it is based on facts, not just stereotypes, past experiences can created a bad judgment situation.

3. Just because a situation looks crappy or easily judged on the surface, that's not always the case.  Not everyone who is poor is unhappy and miserable, not everyone who is rich is happy and successful.

And I'll have to keep practicing these mantras every day. Because if I'm not being fair to all the people around me, I am sure as heck not being fair to myself.