Unfriending is Fun and Healthy

It is amazing how many people in one's life are just waiting around to watch you fail.

Recently I posted some pictures of my girls learning to ride their bikes. I was very proud of them, and a little proud of myself, though it took me awhile to finally get out there and take the time necessary to teach them. I was worried about them falling, so I took them to a grass field, where I ran beside them for most of the learning period. I was able to get a couple pictures and then post them to social media. 

Almost immediately there was a stern response from some "family" members. They lectured me about my failure to have them in helmets. It was true. I totally forgot to grab the helmets. Truthfully, I didn't even think it would matter, given that I was taking them to the park to learn, where they could only ride their bikes at a fast walk pace on grass. They were perfectly safe, even without the helmets. But here were these concerned people, who never interact with me positively in any substantial way about anything in my life now finding an opening to critique my parenting. 

So, this has me thinking. What is one to do with people in one's life who couldn't care less about your success, growth or happiness, but do take an intense interest in your failures?

One could take the path of arduous efforts at true friendship. I'm not even talking reconciliation, because these people are not real friends. They are co-workers, distant family and Facebook "friends." But when you are 45 and don't want to invest the time, what are you to do? How about this: jettison them completely from your life! I have now taken the liberating policy of shutting out of my life anyone who is critical without meaningful investment in my life. Why on earth should I entertain the complaints of a person who is not even remotely committed to me as a person?

Of course I should consider the complaints of customers in my profession, but that is of a limited nature, and is not under the pretense of friendship. And I should also consider the constructive criticism of friends, but that is because they have shown a real interest in my health and happiness. They have earned the right. Perhaps I should even consider remote people who expose problems in the logic of an argument, etc. I can even see the merit of that. But I refuse to accept criticism that is leveled against me for no other reason than that a person is eager to find fault for their own entertainment and frivolous aggrandizement. Sadly, we all know people who belong to such a group, and should perhaps no longer know them!