I know...

Last week, my mom, aunt, husband and I went to a jeweler's shop to get some jewelry for me. After a lot of debate we entered a high profile newly opened gold shop. After looking around a little, I found a beautiful pair of jhumkas that I really liked. We asked for a break up of the cost of the earrings. I loved the earrings and was willing to pay the price the shop keeper quoted for it. However, my mom after hearing to the breakup, seemed to say things like, “I guess we need ask dad about buying the earrings.”

Uh! I was a little surprised by that! And I was a little upset too. I mean what would dad know about gold and the cost of gold? If she did not like the earrings why wasn’t mom saying so? I tried reasoning with her that it was no use asking dad. But she wasn’t being very enthusiastic about buying the earrings. Why was my mom being so difficult? I thought.

I realized that I was becoming restless and impatient and felt bad about it.

That day we went back without making any purchase.

Once calmed down a little, I called my mom and asked her what the real issue was; to which she replied that she thought the cost of the jewelry was exorbitant. Again my mind started thinking - mom must have not liked the jewelry. That’s why, she was talking about price.

Since, she hadn't liked the earrings anyways, I thought I would go with my husband the next day and see if I there was something else that I would like. We went to three more prominent jewelers in the locality and we checked out the jewelry and the prices there.

To my surprise, I discovered that my mom was right! The jewelry cost at all the other major shops were at least a good 10% lower than the one in the first one. How could that be possible! I thought. I also discovered how the first jeweler was managing to camouflage the extra cost that he was charging. My mom, with her knowledge of gold rates, was able to figure out that something was not right!

I couldn’t feel sorry enough for making my mom wrong the previous day. With all my arrogance of “I know things better”, I did not even give her chance to voice herself.

Don’t we do that all the time, with our various near and dear ones? A lot of times, instead of hearing out someone patiently, we make judgments about people, and assume what the person is going to say or do. And the result of this is that the person does not have any space to say something creatively.

Once I realized my mistake, I called up my mom and apologized for my behavior the previous day and that evening we bought a pair of earrings that was not only beautiful but also priced properly.