One Uppers

Parents are interesting creatures, especially those still raising young children.  Just as much as some may brag about having positive things in their life, some also “brag” about the negatives.  It’s weird.  This negative bragging particularly comes up as a response to someone else’s comments.  Parent A says, “Wow! Life with 2 kids is so busy!” Then Parent B responds with, “Two?! It’s even worse with 3!” One Upping is so damn annoying.  Yet the truth of the matter is, we’ve all done it.  I’ve done it.  You’ve done it.  And some do it much more often than others.  I call them the One Uppers. They have more kids than you, more struggles than you, more money than you or more drama than you (or all of the above).  And here’s the thing.  Their comments may be totally legit, but the problem comes in when a One Upper behavior is created, and they seem to do this every time you encounter them. Sometimes we just want to say some shit to another parent and have them actually listen and care about our story for just, like, 2 minutes.  I think it’s safe to say that everyone wants that sometimes.  I’ve even caught myself on the verge of doing it and had to refrain.  We must all remember to be better listeners.  Listening more will help us all realize that we can actually learn from others.  And if we’re not really learning much in the moment, at least we were there for the person we were listening to.  Offering up info when it’s helpful and applicable is a great idea.  But maybe we should save the I’ve-Got-It-Worse attitude for another time…or the mirror…or whatever. 😉