My viewpoint is not same as yours

Try to see the other person's point of view. You might have come across this advice from your friends or your mentors. Moreover, the help books also emphasise on this advice. Is it easy to see from another person's point of view? Most of the time, we can't even fit ourselves in someone else's shoes or suits. If we can't do something as simple as donning other person's outfits, how can we accomplish a hard task like seeing from their viewpoint? Let us take the example of interaction with my friend and her teenage son.

The teenage son has a friend who recently picked up a new skill, palmistry. You may not believe in this science (or non-science), but it seemed to be a hot talent judging at the way it was described to me. The teenagers of both sexes were flocking in front of this young palmist to know their future. My friend's teenage son was no exception. After carefully analysing the lines, the fortune teller informed the teenage son. You will have 4 kids. Apparently, the teenage son was shocked silent from this news.

Later in the day, he narrated the incident to his mum. He was sad even after he informed his mother of the prophecy. Sensing the melancholic mood, my friend queried to understand the source of trouble. The teenager explained his concern. Imagine he has to book a holiday for the entire family. He has to take 6 tickets. In the age of escalating costs, he would spend a fortune just to get his family from one place to another. I know you are smiling hearing this. I was too. But my friend was not smiling. She got angry at the teenager.

If you are wondering about the source of the anger, I will summarize it as the point of view. Her son was thinking of 6 tickets. One for the son, one for his wife and 4 for his kids. Isn't it sound arithmetic? No. The teenager has not counted my friend and her husband. So according to my friend, her teenage son should have thought and planned regarding 8 tickets.

Photo Courtesy: Lorraine W

Tags: Parenthood, Viewpoint