The news that my school district will be closed for its fourth snow/ice day rolled in a couple of hours ago. Throughout the past couple weeks, as questionable weather has dominated, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the district’s Facebook page for information.
The updates have been pleasant and helpful.
The comments?
Not so much.
Today, parents are complaining that they weren’t given enough notice.
Last Friday, they complained that we were in school.
Last Thursday, they complained that school was cancelled.
I feel sorry for the system. No matter what decision they make and when they make it, they face criticism.
Because you can’t please everybody.
There’s a lesson in there for me. By my nature, I want to make people happy. I have a tendency to tiptoe around too much so that I’m not an imposition. I try to make decisions that make sense based on the information and that also make others satisfied. And, even though I’m making progress, I can still take criticism too personally.
Yet I doubt the school superintendent is reading these comments and questioning his decision. I can’t imagine he is losing sleep over the complaints that the school district is unable to control the weather. And the thought of him trying to please everybody in a large district is just laughable.
In fact, from my neutral, third-party perspective, it’s obvious that the dissent is simply coming out of frustration and/or fear.
It really has nothing to do with the school system at all.
And isn’t that usually the case?
Responses say more about the responder than the respondee.
And you can’t please everybody.
As for me, I’m just happy I don’t have to navigate any icy roads and I’m enjoying our first snow day with actual snow.
YES. This is so me. I am a hardcore people pleaser. I need to remember that other peoples’ negative responses to my decisions are more about them and less about me. Thanks for the reminder.
Anytime!
I developed this characteristic to a fault at an early age. I believe it was a significant factor contributing to my divorce and the dynamics in my marriage. While I am attempting to alter my behavior as much as I can comfortably, it still puts me at a disadvantage to people who seem to be able to hone in on that tendency and take advantage.