Nice Women

Sometimes it's hard to be a mom.  Sometimes, you're 8 months pregnant, your one and a half year old likes to run like a crazy person through the aisles at Sprouts randomly pushing every box and jar as far back on the shelf as she can, while at the same time your four year old son is determined to push the cart, but keeps running into tall displays of glass beverages and other people.  And sometimes, you get mean looks from people while you're trying to manage this circus, all the while you're out of breath because your belly is constricting your air flow as you're running around trying to catch your daughter and fight her into staying in the cart, but in the end you just end up carrying her, making it even harder to breathe.  And sometimes those people that give you mean looks are other WOMEN.  Or even, other MOMS!  And those times are the absolute WORST.  In your head you're thinking, "Oh, sure, your kids are perfect and have never acted like puppies that were just let loose in a huge warehouse of bouncing balls!" or "I thought we were supposed to be on the same team!!!! Don't look at me like that!" 

BUT . . . SOMETIMES . . .  you're in that same scenario, and a woman stops and laughs and says hello.  Then she asks you how you're doing, tells you in a light-hearted tone that unfortunately things get worse before they get better, and you feel a sweet connection with her and know that she's not judging you at all.  And then, sometimes, a little bit later, that same lady flags down your car as you're about to leave the parking lot, comes over, gives you a huge hug, hands you a bunch of flowers and tells you, "I got these for you to make your day a little bit better!"  

That's the lady that I met today.  And she really did make my day a little bit better.  A lot better, actually!  I felt so loved by a complete stranger!  It made me so happy to know that there are nice women out there.  Women who are routing for each other and are there ready to support a mom having a hard time.  I want to be one of those kinds of women.  I don't want to be a caddy woman or the woman who gives dirty looks at the mom in the grocery store or on the airplane or at the fancy restaurant that is struggling to keep her toddlers maintained.  And I NEVER want to be the woman who gives unsolicited advice in the grocery store insinuating that you don't know what you're doing or how to control your own children.  Instead, I want to be the woman who gives that mom an encouraging smile, offers a sucker to the crying toddler, or buys a beautiful bunch of flowers to "make her day a little bit better."  So, to the kind lady at Sprouts, Thank You!  You made my day better, and you inspired me to always be on the lookout to help out the other moms out there.