Getting It Under Control

Think Tank #48

On my way to work today, I saw a little girl on a scooter. She was probably about four years old, and it seemed like she was just learning how to ride the thing.

She stepped off the scooter for a second, and then let go of it, and then, learning how wheels work for the first time, she watched the scooter roll off the sidewalk and into the street.

Her mom rushed to grab it and then gave it back to her. Problem solved, right? Not really. The girl was absolutely distraught. Her eyes slanted and her lips stretched wide into a grotesque sob. She was still crying, even as she got back on the scooter and kept rolling along.

This annoyed me for some reason.

We all catch ourselves being assholes sometimes, right?

It just seemed like such an overreaction! I mean come on. The scooter was fine, her mom brought it back to her. It’s not even like she fell—she wasn’t in any pain. Why was she crying hysterically because her scooter rolled off the sidewalk?

Then it dawned on me. The girl’s four years old. She hasn’t learned how to deal with frustration yet.

No one likes when something doesn’t go their way. When you’re young, you cry about it. You haven’t learned how to do anything else yet. You haven’t learned to accept life’s imperfections.

A lot of adults haven’t gotten the hang of this skill, either. The only difference is that instead of crying, we flare up in anger and then quietly seethe for the next several hours.

Honestly, I think this girl’s coping mechanism was pretty healthy. Sure, she was crying. Yeah, life sucks. Get used to it. But she also got back on the scooter. She didn’t call it quits or wait for her emotions to even themselves out.

Momentary inconveniences like leaving your wallet at home and having to turn back or missing the train are just as inconsequential as the three seconds this girl went without a scooter.

So maybe, instead of muttering to yourself about how much you hate your life and how much ‘the universe’ hates you, just deal. Everything’s fine. Get back on the scooter and move on.

Also, if you find yourself getting annoyed at toddlers on the street for absolutely no reason, pay attention. There’s probably a lesson there.