I am amazed at times at the changes I see in the world, and then at other times dismayed. I get particularly dismayed at how little has changed when it comes to female discourse. This was recently brought home to me when I learned of my seven-year-old granddaughter’s struggle with a classmate.
I was reminded of the time her mother, who was about the same age as her daughter is now, came home from the swimming pool with a sad, tearful face. When questioned about her mood she revealed how a girl had hurt her feelings by not reciprocating her greetings. She said, ”Mom, I said hi to her seven times and she didn't say hi to me once.” While acknowledging her hurt, I rhetorically asked her why she would say hi to someone seven times. I said, ”Honey, you can say hi once, and maybe twice in case they didn't hear you, but never seven times. No one should make you feel like you have to beg them for friendship. You just focus on becoming the person people want as a friend by being kind to everyone.”
I don't know why people behave meanly to one another. It only serves to make others miserable and the world, for many, a cold and lonely place. So now, all these years later, I find myself giving my granddaughter similar advice. And, something I still continue to remind myself of.
