My husband and I made a trek to Costco last week. Since it reminds me of Black Friday shopping every time we go (i.e., lots of people), I try to space out our trips for at least 10 weeks or more. But we were almost out of toilet paper and paper towels, so we headed to the store.

On our way through the parking lot, we overheard a conversation between an older woman and younger man, maybe a mother and her adult son, who were unloading their groceries into the car. It went something like this:

Mother: “I see a lot of dog hair in the back seat.”

Son: “Yeah, I had to take Molly in the car last week.”

Mother: “You need to sweep that up.”

This exchange made me laugh but then stopped me short. How many times have I said something similar to my adult children? And if I extend that thought further, how many times have I expected others to handle situations like I would, even if it’s just dog hair on a back seat of a car?

The saying “unrequested advice is criticism in disguise” has hit home for me a number of times, and I saw it in action at Costco. It convicted me that I need to stop thinking that everyone should live or think like I do. It reminded me that relationships are impacted negatively by telling people what to do. Most of the things I’ve attempted to solve for others are minor, like dog hair on a car seat, and unless I’m offering to do the sweeping myself, it’s best to take a breath and keep silent.