I will be the first to admit that I easily judge, especially when it comes to parenting. There are other things that I am also quick to judge, some of which I am too embarrassed to admit.

Countless times in my life I have heard myself say, “I would NEVER do that”. I remember after I had my first child I said I would never a) let them watch TV, b) let them eat sweets, c) bribe them. If anyone reading this knows me now, you know that these rules that I had created have been broken over and over and over again.

It’s all about perspective.

Until you walk in someone else’s shoes (figuratively and not literally) you have no idea what you would do, or how you would react to a certain situation. Everybody has their own reality. Until you live it, you have no idea how you would react. You can’t assume that you would do things a certain way, because you never know until you live through the experience.

The girl who you think is a bitch, is really really shy.

The woman ignoring her kids at the park just found out her mom has terminal cancer.

The obese woman eating McDonald’s at the park was never taught about healthy food options.

The teenager acting out on the street just found out she was pregnant.

Until you live it, you have no idea how you would react in a certain situation. You are taught by your parents, and then society to be a certain way. You are taught right from wrong. You learn from your own experience. When you judge someone else you are looking at the situation from your own eyes, your own experience. You cannot see another person’s perspective unless you have lived their life.

As I get older I realize that a lot of things I said I would never do, I have done. The more I live through these experiences, the less I judge others for their own choices. Who am I to judge?

It’s all about perspective.

So next time you catch yourself judging another person’s actions take a moment to think. Concentrate on your own reality and let others live their life without judgement. You may not make the same choices, but you never know what the future brings.

All I know is that I will NEVER say that I would NEVER do that. Because you NEVER know. You really really don’t.

Never say never.