liminal_space | why my kid is my kid

i was talking to the kid about the latest drama from the woman who sneaks photos in her mother's nursing home of residents in vulnerable positions (can you say probable HIPPA violation?) and how there was a newest little wrinkle that resulted in me getting a message where unintentional irony, misspelled words, and horrible grammar were rampant.

i was telling her that if you're going to come at someone in writing, you should proofread and think it through before you send and kid was all WAIT, BACK UP....so i had to tell the story about how ratchet lady was posting pictures of nursing home residents w/o their permission and how the photos were not of smiles, or beautifully weathered faces and hands, but were of gaping open gowns, faces slightly contorted with discomfort, and just....bad. kid was ready to take the photos, find the nursing home, and send them to the administrator....and local papers...etc and so on.

she asked a simple question of me: do you think she'd want to be photographed like that? and i imagined this woman, passed out on the floor from a close to OD, with someone snapping pictures and answered, "no. no one would."

we talked about how hard it sometimes is to stand up to people who are doing bad things to others because we "don't want to get involved" or feel we need to mind our own business. but there's a difference from minding your own business and making the choice to remain silent and refusing to being a voice for others, standing with them so they know they're not alone, even though it can cause YOU anxiety.

we also discussed how teaching middle schoolers for 15 years and dealing with asshole horses (and good ones!) make dealing with people like this woman easy as can be. it takes a lot to faze me from a personal attack, to be honest.

she then asked me how i responded to the message and i shrugged, telling her i didn't because i was blocked. that offended her more. "what a PUSSY," she said, which caused me to laugh, because it's exactly what i thought without saying it. because if you're gonna toss shit, running away from a response is just...cowardly.

a little while ago, i got this:

actually, not everywhere, thankfully.

...which made me laugh more. because OMG, she's salty.

so, this woman and this exchange — however one sided — will soon be forgotten, but what won't be is the pride i have in my kid who recognizes how bad behavior that harms others in some way, shape, or form shouldn't be ignored and who has in the past acted on that knowledge to give advocacy and support to those who need it.