Making Judgments

Last Thursday, I was with my students at a Government Health Center in Manila. We were busy giving vaccines on infants when a mother came in with her two year old son with orders from our physician for Measles, Hepatitis B and DPT vaccines. That would mean three injections.
Normally, we aim that a child be fully immunized before he reaches one year of age. I wondered why the mother was not able to comply with this (didn't bring the child earlier) so I verbalized my thoughts. She replied that they went on a vacation. Scolding, I told her what a long vacation they had and that she could have been more considerate with her son's health. Because of her negligence, her son will now have to suffer three injections. The mother just kept quiet as we prepared and administered the vaccines. I then grudgingly gave the crying child, who behaved well during the ordeal, my small pack of sweets as a reward.
Back home that evening, I related the incident to a roommate still critical of the mother's negligence. My roommate, who had more sense, told me that maybe the family's delay in coming back from a "vacation" was due to not having money for fare. It's true. Most of our clients are poor. That mother and child looked poor. Mea culpa . I could have known better.
Consideration: Think things through. Avoid making judgments on the motives and intentions of people. It is always better to say: "You give the impression that...", "you seem..." and lines that state observations instead of judgments.