The High Road

I've been working really hard lately on taking the high road.  You know, when someone angers me or I feel a grave injustice has been done to me, I am trying to react calmly.  Maturely.  I am trying to weigh the proper way to respond or consider if any response is even necessary.  The latter is the hardest - not responding. 

I think I've been pretty successful at this, thank you very much.  I've kept my mouth shut a LOT.  I've tried to be a better person and not take things personally.  I've tried to remind myself that everyone has trials and hardships, so if someone takes the low road and lashes out at me or about me, it may not really be about me at all. 

But sometimes?  SOMETIMES IT WOULD FEEL SO FREAKING GOOD TO TAKE THE LOW ROAD.   

Yesterday Braden came home from school and told me that one of his friends told him to "go away."  I prodded about the details surrounding this banishment, and got none.  Braden usually shrugs this stuff off (as he did with the park incident last week), but this time he looked legitimately sad.  Which made me sad.  I decided this was a parenting moment.  I needed to advise him on how to respond. 

High road - Braden, if your friend ever says that to you again, you tell him that it's not nice and that it hurts your feelings. 

Low road- Braden, if your friend ever says that to you again, you tell him to shut the fuck up and that you can and will play wherever the hell you like. 

Braden is 4, so I went with the high road. 

But isn't the low road so much more satisfying?