Last week, my boys and I were at story time. This particular story time includes a craft, and the crafts are not always age-appropriate for the toddlers who typically attend story time. I was holding my infant in one arm while sitting with my toddler between my knees and trying to put together the pieces of the "puppet" he was making.
None of it was working and we were all getting frustrated, when another mom appeared at my shoulder and offered to hold my baby so I could spend some time focused on bonding with my toddler--her daughter was older enough to do the craft without assistance. I hesitated for half a second before handing my baby to this mom who I'd met once before and whose name I couldn't begin to remember. She spent the next ten minutes rocking and cooing to my baby.
When I stepped over to retrieve him, I thanked her with tears in my eyes.
She brushed off her gesture by claiming that she was done having kids but wanted a "baby fix." She pretended not to see how moved I was by her kindness.
I didn't know it, but this was exactly what I needed in that moment. It was so simple, and it cost her nothing, yet it changed me. I vowed to try to be kinder, too, both to others and to myself.
