Editor:
I am the mother of four young children.
When I am out and about with my brood, I frequently receive this well-worn comment: “You’ve got your hands full!”
Yes, I do. And, while I appreciate small talk with strangers (often my sole daytime adult conversation), that particular comment is not news to me.
One day, however, a passer-by at the park looked at my rosy-cheeked, romping children and said, “What a beautiful family!”
Can I tell you how those words acted as balm to my harried heart? Truly, I held my head higher and walked with a lighter tread!
So, next time you encounter a mother and her raucous progeny, try diversifying your conversation, and you may speak the words that will encourage her through another day with patience and grace.
The raising of children is the most essential work in the world, and it takes a village.
Gemma Myers, Surrey