Mom Receives Criticism For Complaining After Her Child Came Home From School Barefoot
People from other cultures didn't understand why she was upset.
MMPhoto21 / Shutterstock Sometimes it’s important to be reminded of our place in the world. It can be so easy to get caught up in our own problems that we forget the lives and plights of people around us.
One mom was reminded of that after making a complaint on Reddit.
A mom received some criticism for complaining that her child came home from school barefoot.
An anonymous mother posted to Reddit to share her concerns with a community of moms. She explained that she was surprised by the state her daughter was in when she picked her up from school.
“I picked up my six-year-old [kindergartener] from school today and she was barefoot,” she said. “No socks, no shoes, walking on the bare ground to the car.”
Photo: Ksenia Chernaya / Pexels
The mother was upset, so she tried to get to the bottom of the situation. “After digging for more information on what was the reason for this, I had learned she had got her shoes wet during recess and they had her remove her socks and shoes and walk around for the rest of the school day completely barefoot,” she stated.
She was very unhappy that she didn’t have a chance to do something about the situation. “[They] didn’t call me to bring an extra pair of shoes or inform me of anything,” she complained. “I’m extremely upset and wondering what I should do in this situation.”
This mom was upset, but others couldn’t understand why.
Other Reddit users who commented on the post were surprised that the mom was angry that her daughter was sent home barefoot. It became a lesson in cultural differences.
“Coming from New Zealand, these comments are so wild to me!” one person said. “Being barefoot is just like whatever even for an adult going into a shop. Especially at kindy, I can’t imagine there being many hazards like glass on the ground.”
“Growing up in Florida, wet shoes are horrible — much worse than barefoot,” another person pointed out.
“I’m sorry, but as a New Zealander this post is hilarious to me,” another said. “In summer here, 99% of all school kids (and a very big portion of adults) will be barefoot all day, every day!”
Another noted, “I find it so strange too coming from South Africa. Maybe it’s a Southern Hemisphere thing, but walking barefoot is the norm here. Especially for children. My kids’ primary school even has a no-shoes policy.”
While there were some kind, sympathetic comments, many followed this pattern of not understanding why the mother was upset because of cultural differences.
Cultural differences are important to acknowledge and respect.
Many people think of cultural differences as something that makes life more difficult. However, they are part of what makes us who we are. Each person’s culture is important to them.
Harvard Business Review wrote about dealing with cultural differences as they relate to the workplace and offered tips that can translate to any situation. One of their most important points was to “give everyone a voice.”
“Although you can vary many rules according to culture and corporate function, the one you absolutely must adopt is ensuring that every cultural group is heard,” they said.
It is essential to remember that every culture has its customs and traditions. In some, wearing shoes is unnecessary, or even discouraged. In others, it’s the norm.
We can’t judge others based on our own beliefs.
As one commenter said “If you live somewhere that accepts being barefoot anywhere and everywhere, great. But why comment that here where evidently that’s not the norm for [the original poster], who by the way, is in Seattle where the weather is 40-50 degrees [Farenheit] right now/4-10 degrees [Celsius].”
It’s a far better idea to be kind than to make a point about your own individual culture. Kindness is something we can all agree on.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.