Motherhood grounded in humility

So many of us can relate directly to this vignette painted by a young mother of three:

Today, I went to the thrift store with my three little ones in tow. I was wearing the baby and the two and four year olds were riding in the cart while I tried to browse a couple things. The boys were giggling, then standing in the cart. A curt, store employee asks me to have them sit down since many kids fall out of the carts. I nod and smile, of course, slightly overwhelmed because my kids were unruly at the time and I picked a bad time of day to venture out. The boys sit down. Not two minutes later, Leo stands up again to reach for an item on the shelf. The cart tumbles over with a very loud bang...

The cold stares. The reproaches. The tsk-tsks. We've all received them in one form or another. Perhaps we've even given them. I love aging for the experiences and wisdom -- mostly for the gentle guidance of God which says, "do not judge." While living through these moments usually brings a slow internal burn, we look back and see a consistent lesson in how to love.

Children wiggle; carts tip; days deteriorate; love endures. We are all on a windy path to the Eternal, so lets give a hand to our fellow travellers.

Comments

[elena maria vidal]

People expect toddlers to behave like little robots. Unbelievable.

[lar]

i hate it when people look down on parents like that.