Stop Judging Someone's Life Based on a Picture-perfect Snapshot

Here’s what to do instead.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Picture this mental image

A couple strolling with their newborn baby in the park. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you can even catch a small smile in the corner of the father’s mouth, proudly looking at his wife, who’s gazing at their baby in the stroller.

You pass them on your way to work and think for a moment, what a wonderful life they might have—what a beautiful family they have and what a spectacular future awaits them on the horizon.

A parent yourself, you forget all the colics, the sleepless nights, the engorged breasts, and your struggles to feed your newborn while dealing with nipple soreness. You forget the postpartum depression, even those huge fights with your husband for not taking turns equitably and as expected. You don’t even remember how much it took you to get back in shape or resume your identity. Everything is forgotten in that picture-perfect moment of seeing that couple strolling their baby in the park.

Take another image, now.

Your single colleague just got a promotion at work. She’s slightly older than you. She has no husband and no children. No strings attached to her. She can do anything she…