Peter read
through everyone’s submissions and selected his winner. Congratulations to Kristin Shaw who won the
$25 Amazon gift card! Her response to
“You look creepy” was…
“I look creepy? Huh.
What I know is that I have a good heart, and I
wouldn’t dream of saying something so ugly to another
person.”
Peter liked
the part about having a good heart, which makes sense because he has the
biggest and most compassionate heart I’ve ever known. He said the second part of her response,
however, made him feel uncomfortable. “Why?” I asked.
“Because,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt their feelings.” WHAT?!
So a kid rudely remarks, "you look creepy," and you are worried about
hurting HIS feelings? “Well, yeah,”
said Peter. WOW!!! My tender hearted son is most definitely a much
better person than me! Although
admirable, my fear is that Peter’s thoughtfulness is also something of a
detriment when dealing with these types of situations. Here is my response to his concern…
“Sadly, some
people have to be told that their behavior is rude. Otherwise they may never know that what they said
was hurtful. These people continue
behaving badly until a ‘difference maker’ like you comes along to set them
straight. While you must be assertive
with your reply, you can also be polite when letting someone know that their behavior
was rude. In doing so, you will leave a positive
and lasting impression. And, maybe, just
maybe, that person won’t say something so rude the next time they see someone
who looks different.”
I want to thank
everyone who submitted their “Creepy Comebacks”. You can read the other submissions under the
comments section of last week’s blog entitled “Spreading Acceptance.” Thanks Kristin for your winning contribution! We will contact you privately to make
arrangements for the gift card.
Congratulations, Kristin!
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