Social media: Choosing not to judge

I love social media. I know people who see it as a deep dark hole of narcissim but I see it in a completely different light and I would love to share with you my view on social media and why I partake in it on a daily basis. I actually have a couple posts on this topic. This first one is talking about choosing not to judge.

I have no shame that I take selfies. I don’t judge others for taking them either. We don’t know anyones story. Sometimes we share our story in our little captions other times we leave it blank. What we don’t know is the story behind that selfie, that food picture, that picture of their home…It could be that girl felt like crap all day and then pulled herself out of that funk, put some makeup on and felt good and decided to take a selfie. It could be that mom has had a laundry pile the size of Texas the last two weeks and finally her bed is clear of any trace of laundry and looking at her bed perfectly made brings her peace and she snaps a picture. Or maybe that person posting pictures of them and their partner posting sappy posts has actually been through a near divorce and so taking pictures of them hugging, kissing, and loving each other is a way bigger deal than we realize.

What about that mom that only posts pictures of her smiling babies and kiddos laughing? Have you thought for a moment maybe its because she is so overwhelmed with the late nights, and long days of fits, sleepless nights, and crying that by posting the smiling and laughing pictures it is a reminder to her that yes there is relief, there is beauty in the mundane.

Granted not every person that posts on social media falls into these categories but I know from experience from friendships that this IS the case for some, if not a lot of moms and women. So instead of judging them for “putting on a facade” of “only posting the perfect pictures” stop for a moment and consider there is more behind the picture than meets the eye.

So here is to social media. May we learn to grow from and with each other. Strengthening and not shaming. Encouraging and not envying.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic!