The other day at my daughter’s volleyball game, I sat behind two moms who didn’t know who I was.
While Victoria was playing, they kept talking about everything she did wrong and how, with “that height,” she should be doing this and that. They even questioned why the coach left her in the game. They acted like they knew her and spoke like they were so sure of themselves. I felt so frustrated and wanted to say something or cry, but I just got up and moved to a different seat. In that moment, I didn’t know what to say, or if the words would even come out right. But after thinking about it, I wanted to share my thoughts here:
I wanted to say:
- Do you know she’s only been playing on a team for six months?
- Do you know she’s blind in one eye and has no depth perception, making it hard to even hit the ball?
- Do you know she cried for days, thinking she would never be good enough?
- Do you know she practiced 8 hours a week this summer just to improve enough to try out for the team?
- Do you know she’s doing AMAZING, and she’s my daughter?
- Do you know it’s women like you who don’t understand how to build someone up, and you’re teaching your daughter it’s okay to talk about other girls like this?
Just a reminder:
Before you speak or judge someone, ask yourself:
- Are you sure you’re right?
- Do you know their story?
- Have you walked in their shoes?