Apparently a Dutch uncle is someone who is painfully honest.
Here's an example:
Several years ago a mother at my school pulled me aside and told me that it was obvious I hated children and she suggested that I find another job. I think a Dutch Uncle would have been far more loving in communicating the truth, but they would have taken to task the expression of a difficult truth.
At the time I was furious with Mrs. So-and-so. But I also felt informed. Now, 5 years later, I am extremely grateful for her honesty because it made me pause and look at myself. Did I like children? No, not really. Did I want to be a teacher? Hell no. So...I had to wonder why I was teaching. And I had to decide whether or not to quit.
I decided to keep doing it. I found the fun. I found that I really do like children, but that I have an anger problem. WHAT? Yes, I HAVE AN ANGER PROBLEM. I haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet, but I am working hard to discover what pushes me over the edge and how to avoid it.
Thank you for your honesty Mrs. SandS.
And thank you, friend, for yours.
2 comments:
So then, the truth WASN'T that you didn't like kids...
Doesn't that actually nullify the "honest" part? It seems to me, Mrs SandS may have been "painful" (not denying that you may have needed to hear the painful info) but was quick to form judgment and therefore made a wrong assumption as to perceived shortcomings.
If a Dutch Uncle is painfully honest, does painfully assuming qualify?
Kudos to you, for recognizing that such a mean comment has value, despite being short-sighted. Kudos for realizing, that while you may not have fit the comment, perhaps you did indeed have areas requiring some improvement that may have been perceived as a child hater ;-).
I don't know anyone that doesn't have anger issues; some kind of frustration about our generation or our current society or something...!? Many people have yet to figure that out, deny it, or just continue to blame others for all the injustices they endure.
For most of all, kudos to you, for recognizing your own truth and your seeking to be a better you.
People always say to make lemonade out of lemons, but that doesn't really show the way like your explanation of a Dutch Uncle does.
Post a Comment