Girl Grieving Over Cat's Passing Shares Sorrow With Friend, Who Compares It To Her Own Mother's Illness

“Imagine having a mum with cancer”

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• December 9, 2023

Losing someone you love is tough, and almost everyone goes through it. This Reddit story is about a girl who lost her cat and how it affected her friendship.

The story starts with OP feeling sad because her cat died right after her birthday, which was already not great. She was hoping her friend would be there for her, but it didn't go as expected.

When she told her friend about her cat, the friend replied with a weird emoji that seemed kind of mean. OP asked why her friend was acting like that, and the friend got all defensive.

A month later, she was still really upset about her cat. She was talking to the same friend, and the friend suddenly said, "Imagine having a mum with cancer," which felt like she was saying her problems were worse. OP told her friend not to compare the two situations.

She understood her friend's mom being sick was bad, but she didn't think it was right to make it a competition of who's got it worse. What makes it more complicated is that OP’s mom was also sick, but she never tried to one-up her friend whenever she talked about her mom's cancer.

She just listened and supported her.

OP's cat died a month ago, and it was tough. She shared it with her friend, and her sarcastic emoji hurt OP, leading to a defensive conversation.

During a conversation with a friend, OP got defensive when her friend compared her grief to her mother's battle with cancer.

OP didn't mention that her mother is also unwell, as she didn't want to compare their struggles.

While her mom's cancer is terrible, it doesn't lessen OP's grief.

She shouldn't be making comparisons between the two situations.

OP should be mindful about complaining to a friend whose mother is dying of cancer, as there's a comparison made between different levels of suffering, emphasizing the importance of sensitivity.

People have unique ways of grieving and showing empathy.

She doesn't own all the grief, bad things happen to others as well.

Grief is personal and shouldn't be compared.

Both should learn when to share and listen.

Life isn't a competition for suffering.

In life, there's no exact right or wrong way to handle sadness and pain. We all feel these things differently, and what hurts one person a little might hurt another person a lot.

That's just how people are. When someone talks to us about their tough times, the best thing we can do is listen and be kind.

We should try to understand how they feel and let them know we care. It's not about comparing who has it worse; it's about being there for each other.

Sometimes, people just want someone to talk to and don't need advice. They want to know someone cares about them and their feelings.

So, let's remember that we're all human, going through different things in life, and let's be kind and supportive of each other. That's what makes our connections with others strong and meaningful.

Damjan