Walk The Walk

This post was inspired by an incident that happened a few weeks ago. A person I've known all my life posted a nasty little rant on social media about a young mother with bratty children she wasn't trying to control. This incident happened in a hospital waiting room. When several of us made comments that we wondered why she (the young mother) was in a hospital waiting room and perhaps offering help was a good idea, we were met with nasty comments and/or blocked from her account. This incident disappointed me, because it was so mean spirited. And the woman who posted it was someone I thought highly of. 

So, here is my perspective as the mom of a "brat", as she described these children she saw. The mom who has had to wrangle three active boys, alone much of the time, because we've always lived away from extended family. As I was thinking about all of this, an incident came to mind. Here it is:

My youngest boy has ALWAYS had meltdowns. Until he was diagnosed with ADHD, we did a lot of behavioral conditioning. Ignoring was the

hardest, but the most effective. I had all three with me in Walmart and my youngest started screaming. He wanted something and I said "No". He had screamed through most of the store and I was barely holding it together. My other two had their hands over their ears, begging me to give him what he wanted. I wouldn't give in. 

I received nasty looks and heard snide remarks as I made my way through the store. As I loaded the boys into the van, wrestling my youngest into his seatbelt, a woman approached me. She waited until I was done, put her hand on my arm and said, "Good job. You are a good mother and you did great!"

My eyes filled with tears as I thanked her. I don't know her and never saw her again, but she kept me going that day. Instead of being judgmental, she embodied the Christian spirit. Compassion. Love. Kindness. That's all it took to make one overwhelmed mother feel like going on instead of giving up. 

Thanks for reading and be blessed.