A few words on some pet peeves, and unsupportive social media comments, in this week’s mental health spot.
Many people are going to try and avoid letting others make them feel bad, this year. This primarily seems to involve ignoring or counteracting body shaming. And I absolutely applaud that attitude.
However some harmful elements can come from the unnecessary comments of social media posts, and it peeves me off to no end. I sometimes wish I could say to some of those posters: please reconsider before commenting on something for which you are clearly not the intended audience.
At the time of writing, I am keeping one eye on my cat as she clicks her claws on the sofa, nibbles her food, and tries to figure out where there may be some hidden plastic to chew on. When talking about my cat, Jet, I have a habit of referring to her as my ‘baby’ or my ‘furbaby’ and that is something that really upsets and offends others. Quite why, I have no clue. But I dismiss their grumbles as often as I can. As someone who hasn’t been blessed with living babies, Jet is absolutely my baby because she is dependent on me and I adore her, even when she is stealing 95% of my bed. Why am I not allowed to love her the same as someone else loves their child? And why does it matter to you what terminology I use for my cat?
I don’t need constant reminders of my childlessness from strangers – it hurts.
Oh, and stop reminding pet owners that their furry companions are getting older or ‘not going to be around forever’. We know that. And, for the record, the same applies to humans as well… but apparently it is rude to say the same thing about people. If you don’t wish to hear it about your loved ones, don’t say it to others about their loved ones.
Another awful trend includes judging parents any time they post about their child(ren). Personally, I have always been a believer in leaving parents alone to raise their children however they see fit; unless there is clear abuse or cause for concern, frankly it isn’t an issue. If one parent believes in yelling at a child for misbehaving, while another prefers offering a hug and quiet words explaining why the behaviour wasn’t ideal, it doesn’t mean either child will end up living better or worse than the other. It means they will learn to deal with things differently, and that’s not a bad thing. Imagine if we all thought, said, and did the exact same thing. Life would be so boring.
And, no, random lady; this ten-second video of a child laughing while sat on grass is not any indication or statement of the overall life and family functionality. It is merely a few cute seconds of a child being a child.
These may seem like petty little things, but when one person is offered hundreds of opinions that are not supportive, or are just downright nasty, it can be harmful, in the long run. What purpose does it serve?
If someone don’t like my articles and wishes to read something else on this site, of course that’s fair enough, and of course, scroll away. If they don’t want to see me call my cat ‘my baby’, scroll away. If they don’t want to see a parent hug a child that threw food on the floor, scroll away. Surely that’s so much better for everyone than a wave of unnecessary vitriol.
There are people out there who I’d really appreciate asking themselves ‘does this directly affect my life?’ or ‘is this any of my business?’ before commenting. The answer will almost always be no.
Maybe sometimes it’s just best to, well, scroll away.
Thanks as always for reading. This column returns next week.
