Mommies helping Mommies

As mothers we are members of an elite group of people. This makes us special, but it also comes with the responsibility of supporting fellow members of this group and remembering that every mother and father is experiencing different challenges. It is easy to pass judgement when you see a screaming, ill behaved child in the store. My first thought would be. "Sheesh! Can't this woman handle her child?" This would be a natural response for most of us. The important thing is to think about the things you can't see. Was that child up all night? Is he/she going through something traumatic? Maybe that child has Autism or some other disorder. I personally have a child with sensory processing issues and serious ADHD along with a few other fun little tics. My 3 year old also has sensory issues. These things make it difficult for my kids to be in crowded, busy settings. They tend to overload and then completely melt down. This happened just the other day.

I went to a very crowded Hobby Lobby with all 3 of my kids while my husband was at work. That was my first mistake.  I walked past the model train isle. That was my big mistake. Dax wanted me to buy a Thomas train set and when I said no his cranky overload turned into a total meltdown. He screamed and cried hysterically all the way to the check out. His crying eventually woke the sleeping baby and added one more crying child to the mix. All of the chaos got to poor Samantha, who tried coping by touching and counting everything in sight. I was mortified, embarrassed, and on the verge of tears as I exited the store, when a woman I have never met approached me and said, "Please let me help you. I have seven kids of my own." I eagerly accepted her help and explained that my son hadn't slept well the night before. She told me I didn't need to explain and that kids just sometimes have to have their little breakdowns. She helped me load my kids into the van and went on her way after I said thank you about 20 times. It is little acts like this that define us as women and parents. I challenge all of you to give aide and encouragement to a fellow mommy-in-need. You never know what a difference it may make.