Mocking Children's Pain is Not Okay

Sometimes the outbursts of our children really are hilarious to us -- but that doesn't mean they aren't worthy of respect and their emotional state should not be treated with the appropriate level of seriousness with which they are experiencing it.  

Recently, this has been making the rounds, and I'm sure it will continue to "Why My Kid is Crying"  http://themetapicture.com/why-my-kid-is-crying/

It's upsetting, It's abusive. The amount of traffic this site gets shows that people think it's okay to perpetuate this kind of public ridicule of another person is okay; that it is acceptable and good for public amusement. 

It dismisses and disregards the kid's experience, it mocks their struggles, it projects on them meaning instead of trying to observe, listen, validate, it makes other people's pain an entertainment, and it objectifies the child and removes all respect for what they are experiencing and who they are. THAT IS NOT OKAY. 

The adults who took these pictures might not think they are doing any harm, but the notion that the kid doesn't understand what is going on is a very damage-causing motivation that will have repercussion far beyond just one picture.

Trivializing other people's lives for our own entertainment and pleasure (even worse, the pleasure is in thinking how stupid & over-the-top the kids' reactions are) is a particular brand/kind/style of wrong that I just can't make itokay no matter what way I spin it.

It's even worse in this case because not only are these kids sweet little innocents, but I expect they are being trivialized by the very people who are supposed to make them feel safe, loved, and whole.

It's one thing to witness an emotional outburst in the moment, but memorialising it, taking the time to take a photo, and then to share it around as an object of ridicule for amusement is just not okay.

Children's problems are proportionately as big to them as ours are to us. ~and even more so! since we have experience handling our emotional experiences, but this is all new to them. Being a kid is really, really hard. Learning _everything_ and at the same item having to experience it is really, really hard. 

Every experience is new and complicated, and at the same time self-referential and communal. A kid who drops milk and is screaming may also be in shock, have confusion at why their little limbs didn't do what they wanted, be experiencing concern over parental response, and so, so much more.