We have come across many people since our son was born over 5 years ago. There are some that are put into our ‘inner circle’ and stay there (even if we think they don’t belong and initially don’t have a way of removing them from that ‘inner circle’). There are others who are just passing through. Some are meant to stay the duration, while others are like ships in the night and fade away.
One thing I’ve noticed is that while almost everyone offers support, it’s not always supportive. There are those individuals who may ‘support’ you, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, won’t be supportive (we know a few of those individuals). It’s one thing to offer all the moral support necessary, cheering someone on from the sidelines (the ‘support’). It’s something completely different if you know someone is in the trenches and drowning (being ‘supportive’). When we moved, we left beind a group of individuals who were good at offering moral support, but refused to jump in to offer any sort of supportive role to get you through a tough spot. If you were to approach these individuals to try to explain the difference, they would look at you like you had two heads. They had no problems jumping in to be supportive of each other, but when it came to us, it felt like a double standard. Trying to explain the situation to others who were on the outskirts also proved to be difficult because of the image that these individuals were using.
Have you ever encountered a situation with individuals who had trouble seeing the difference? Did you find something that worked to help them understand?
Island of Misfit Mamas 