Friday, August 26, 2011

Birds Of A Feather


My young granddaughter, a Middle School student, just tried out and made cheerleader for this school year. She has been so excited! She came home yesterday with her uniform, modeled it for the family and pranced around in it for some time. Ah, youth! I remember it well.

But today, she wasn’t quite so happy. Seems that a couple of girls that were her friends before she made cheerleader are suddenly not her friends anymore. The ones who aren’t on the squad are sticking together and having nothing to do with her. She was crushed; almost in tears!

I gave it my all. I told her: “You can’t make someone be your friend, but you can be such a nice person that they might want to.” I said, “Just keep smiling and speaking to those girls, don’t say anything bad about them to anyone else and maybe they’ll come around.” She looked at me with big, sad brown eyes and said, “But what if they don’t?”

Remembering this feeling – and hurting for her – I forced a smile and said, “If they don’t, it’s their loss. You’ll have other friends; good friends who’ll appreciate you for the sweet person you are. You don’t need friends who treat you badly just because you’re a cheerleader and they’re not.”

She seemed to feel better after our talk. I hope so. Problem is – there is so much more to this enigma than I could tell her. She will have to learn it just as we all did – through the painful experience of living it. No one can tell you. The truth is, this is just the way girls are. It never changes.

Some grown women still act this way. And nothing brings it out in them like the green-eyed monster. Birds of a feather flock together, too! Those who are envious of another's position in life stick together. Just like my granddaughter’s former friends, they learned young. And they've been this way their whole lives!

Unfortunately for them, jealously is a very unattractive trait! 












6 comments:

Sandi said...

That's so true peggy. Many women still act this way. They must learn it from their mothers. And you're right.. jealously makes a person very unattractive. Sandi

Anonymous said...

Men don't understand it peg, but we all hear women talking about it so it must be true. men aren't jealous. wonder why women are?

Pam said...

YOur little granddaughter has a lot to learn. Looks like she'll be hurt a lot in her life. You gave her good advice though. Pam

sam said...

good post peg. don'g know much about the subject but I think you gave her good advice. sam

Fran said...

It is interesting that jealousy starts so young in girls. I am a Kindergarten teacher and have seen it in little girls as young as five. They look each other over each morning to see how each is dressed. I can only say,it must be inherent!
fran

luella said...

Envy is bad enough in young girls but it is really ugly in women, but you're right, peg, some women show it very clearly in their actions. luella