you never know

Little Bear has frequent outbursts.  Some days it is fine, but when he is tired, hungry, or overstimulated things can get ugly.  What follows can be maniacal laughter, shouting, biting, spitting, or hitting.  I have actually been overhauling our daily routine to reduce the possibility of problems.

The other day I was at gymnastics and this kid, who was about 9-10, was having a complete fit.  Yelling, threatening, demanding.  He was totally out of control.  One part of me thought, "Boy, have I been here.  My son acts just like this sometimes."  The other part of me wanted to get up and shake this child and tell him that he should be ashamed of his behaviour and how he was treating his mother.  Then it struck me that you just never know some one's situation.  This child could be autistic,  He could could be a foster child from a traumatic home.  He could be moving from one parent to another one.  He could be newly adopted.

I was quick to judge and I know better.  So I just want to remind everyone that when when you see a child acting out in public, he could be a brat or he could have suffered a life time abuse. 

You just never know.