What Would The World Look Like If Moms Banded Together?
I read an article recently about a mom who had a complete meltdown at an airport. We’ve all been there. Our kids decide the airport is too much for them, maybe they’re tired, maybe they’re not sleeping very well, or maybe they're just overstimulated in general. Whatever the reason when our kids start to melt down in a public place it can be really overwhelming for us as moms.In the article, the toddler started to melt down and the mom got to a point where she didn’t know what to do anymore.
So she sat down in the middle of the airport and cried.
The thing that happened next completely astounded me and gave me hope for our society. Instead of everyone staring at her with judgmental looks and irritation over how loud her kid was, a group of moms stood up and helped her.These moms didn’t know each other in fact they hadn't even spoken while sitting at the airport. That didn’t matter. They stood up because they saw someone in need and wanted to help her. They grabbed things out of their own bag to help the child down and even started offering up juice, snacks, and things of their own.It's completely embarrassing when your kid loses it. You can feel like a failure of a mom, like you’re not doing anything right, or just completely 100% overwhelmed. These moms knew she needed help and they stepped up.
It reminded me of a flight that's still burned into my memory, a few years later.
It was one of the few times I was traveling alone. I was flying with my youngest son to a women’s conference that my mom was going to meet me at. In my mind, I figured hey it’s one kid how hard can this be? I have three kids and I’ve been there with all three of them and I knew this had to be easier.If only I knew how wrong I was that morning I may have been a little bit more prepared.Everything went wrong that could have gone wrong. I got there late, I forgot stuff at home, the baby was super upset, and my nerves are already fried. By the time I got my tickets, my Starbucks, and a little bit of my sanity back I sat down to just take a breath. Within not even one minute I spilled my entire Venti coffee all over the floor and my shoes. I just looked at it with complete disbelief. I couldn't believe I just did that and I didn’t even have the excuse of my baby just did it. It was all me. I somehow missed where my coffee was it knocked it with my hand when my baby was asleep in my hands.
At that point I was so overwhelmed and exhausted so all I could do was stare at it, throw my hands up in the air, and say screw it.
I walked back to the Starbucks and told him what happened. I hoped that they would give me a new drink understanding that it was a super crappy situation and maybe give me a little bit of support. Instead, they charge me another six dollars for my overpriced drink and I had to go clean up the mess I had just made.By the time all of that was taken care of I found my seat on the plane and I sat down only to realize the person sitting next to me was less than thrilled to be sitting next to a baby on a two-hour flight.You would think a two-hour flight wouldn’t bother anybody sitting next to a baby but this person was not that excited. She continued to stare while everyone sat down and sighed when she realized she was stuck with us. I was already worried about keeping him quiet during the flight, but knowing she was judging everything I did took my stress to the next level.Then I actually started to feel bad for the poor lady next to me about 30 minutes into the flight.
None of my kids had ever dealt with ear problems on flights until this day.
My baby instantly started to get ear pain after we took it off and I did everything I could imagine to calm him down. I learned a few days later that he actually had a really bad ear infection and had to have the doctor send us antibiotics while on my trip. But at the time, I had no idea about any of this. All I knew was that my baby was losing his everlasting mind and the entire fight hated me.I was ready to start crying when a couple moms behind my seat offered to help me. They brought out suckers from their bag and even a sippy cup they had laying in their bags. They had been there themselves as moms and understood I needed some help.I didn’t know what to do.All of us somehow ended up working together to calm him down at least until we could land. At that moment I realized how much I needed moms around me. I was three kids into my motherhood experience and I still found myself in a situation where I had no idea what I was doing. Whether you’ve been in that position before or you’re going to be in the future sometime, we just need help.
Could you imagine a world where instead of people staring at you in judgment they actually just offered to help you?
What if the lady next to me decided to offer me some help rather than glare at me the entire flight? What if she remembered what it was like when her adult daughter sitting next to her was a baby? What if she gave me a little bit of grace and even offered to help?At the end of the day, we need to remember to be there for each other. I love that it can start with us moms. We all understand just how crazy and how difficult parenting can be.The next time you see a mom in need, what are you going to do?Will you be the person that sits there groveling in their own despair because they thought they would have a quiet flight to sleep the whole time?