Conversation with my son

One fine evening...just for the sake of idle chit chat.....

Me: How do we know that someone is showing off by the things that they do?

Son: Of course you can

Me: How? For example, if someone post on FB a new thingy that they just bought ....is that showing off?

Son: I would consider it as such

Me: But are you sure?

Son: Yup!

Me: 100% sure?

Son: Actually Mama a lot of people around us, us included, are actually “show offs” or potential show offs...

Me ( I hope I am not one of ‘those people’): Why do people show off then...?

Son: It is human nature....for validation...to make them feel important...to make other people (the don’t haves) think that they ( the haves’) are important...that they matter...human nature

Me (still not satisfied): But how do you know for sure that they are showing off...for all you know they are just doing it for no good reason?

Son (being very contemplative and serious): The most important thing here is not whether they are showing off or not. The important thing here is to ask yourself why does it make you agitated or angry? So, if someone posted something that they have just bought...why must you think such and such... I mean does it matter? Why does it matter to you? You should dig deep and find out what is it about you that got to be so disturbed by what others do especially when it does not even concern you.....

Me (trying to digest all that and thinking...how does this conversation ended up to be about me?): Yup...that also bothers me...why does it matter to me? Why does it bother me? Hmmm

Suddenly idle chit chat is not so idle anymore...

That is my conversation with my son...who is always thinking and has this view about how things should be and who always managed to make me feel very inadequate most of the time!