Friendship lost in comparison👎🏿🤔

A small write up based on a prompt.

What is something you have broken up with other than a romantic relationship?
This was the prompt by Naima’s Den.

Well… relationships, according to me, are delicate like glass. They need to be handled with care. Sometimes, despite all the effort, they crack unexpectedly.

I have experienced a painful breakup in the form of a friendship.

It was a friendship between two mothers adults who, ideally, should understand the value of companionship and emotional maturity.

I had a close friend in my neighborhood. We first met in a park . The park which we used to go regularly on evenings for children to play. Coincidentally, both our sons were of the same age and studied in the same school. Slowly, the children became playmates, and we mothers became good friends too.

Everything was going smoothly until one day when I had to face her temper fierce like an erupting volcano 🌋.

I was completely flabbergasted. Her anger came as a rude shock from a person I least expected it from.

With emotions running high, I calmly asked her the reason behind her behaviour.

What she said stunned me even more.

The previous evening, our society club had organized a fancy dress competition for children. Kids had to come on stage in pairs — a boy and a girl dressed in colourful outfits while music played in the background.

Every pair looked adorable. One after another, the children walked onto the stage with innocent smiles and tiny dance steps, receiving warm applause from the audience.

When my son and his partner entered the stage wearing Hawaiian outfits, the audience responded with loud cheers and hearty applause.

After them, my friend’s son and his partner came onto the stage and were applauded as well. The entire event was cheerful and lively, filled with smiles and excitement.

So naturally, I couldn’t understand what had upset her so deeply.

When I asked her directly, she said:

“Yesterday, during the fancy dress competition, your son received more applause than my son. I saw broad smiles on everyone’s faces when he came on stage. But when my son entered, the applause felt thinner, and people didn’t smile as much.”

I was speechless.

In a soft voice, I replied:

“I cannot imagine such comparisons, especially involving children. They are innocent souls who know nothing about competition at this emotional level. To me, every child looked beautiful and deserving of appreciation. Please don’t think this way.”

But she refused to listen.

She walked away in anger.

And that was the last conversation we ever had.

Our friendship ended abruptly — like a road that suddenly reaches a dead end.

Sometimes, friendships do not break because of betrayal or hatred. They break because comparison quietly enters the heart and leaves no room for peace.

A friendship which began in a park ended due to some silly stupid reason which cannot be accepted or endorsed .

The saddest part is the friendship ended not because of ego between two adults, but due to immaturity and silly comparisons between two innocent kids.

This type of break- ups in friendships can happen to any one at any time irrespective of the age. Isn’t it ??

Life by itself is a competition where getting applauses, victory and defeat are all part and parcel of the game.

If you had experienced such incidents based on comparisons ,kindly share it in the comment section.