A Mean Girl, No Longer.....

Something has clicked in my brain.  I used to be one of those girls that judged people for their appearance and often times would discuss my opinions with my friends.  "Mean Girls" could have been used for a few of us.   Since turning 30, disconnecting with a person who I thought was my friend and leading my daughter's Girl Scout troop, I have discovered that Wow....  I was not a very nice person sometimes.

Everyone has feelings.  I have feelings, my neighbors have feelings, and so do the little 10 year olds that want to wear their mom's makeup but have no idea what they're doing when putting it on.  Everyone has feelings.  We need to affirm these feelings, some people more than others, but everyone needs to feel good about themselves from time to time.  On the other side of being a Mean Girl, I have noticed when I was making fun of those people, I wasn't making anyone feel better.  I didn't feel better about myself and I know if the person in question would have heard my opinion, they wouldn't have felt that great either.

Many times over the last few months, I have overheard conversations where they are either sharing their opinion about someone, or have read things online about why someone shouldn't do something because it doesn't agree with their opinions.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, sure... but c'mon.  Do we need to be so mean about voicing them?

The next time you feel like you need to express your opinion about another person, make sure it's not just to be mean.  Everyone has feelings.  It's not helpful to anyone to make them feel bad about themselves.

From the mouths of one of my Brownies....  "If you can't say something nice, find something nice to say anyway."