Thank you to the lady in Tesco

Today was a fairly normal Friday morning, except I woke up with a sore neck so I was unusually grumpy. If you ask my family they’d probably tell you I generally come in two modes: Grumpy But Tolerable and Just Stand Well Back. Anyway, this morning I was several twinkles short of a glitter. We were late getting off to school. MoonMunkie forgot her bag and we had to go back. MiniMunkie cried all the way because she wasn’t allowed to sit in the front passenger seat. By the time we got to school I was getting to the Light The Blue Touch Paper Stage. As we dropped MoonMunkie off I decided that coffee and breakfast at Tesco would be a requirement if the day was to continue without me ending up in jail. We had shopping to pick up anyway. So off we went. I had a bacon sandwich and a caramel latte. MiniMunkie had a bath in steamed milk and rejected the biscuits I’d bought. But it did the trick.

Taking 20 minutes to sit and and engage with either of my kids always makes me feel better. Once I stop rushing around trying to do stuff and focus on them properly, it reminds me how AWESOME they are. How kind, creative, funny and actually quite wise they are.

Feeling refreshed, we went off to do the shopping. There were important decisions to be made, namely whether to get the Mermaid Bubblebath or the Pirate Bubblebath. There are pros and cons to either choice. The Mermaid is pink and smells of strawberry (well… what bubblebath makers think strawberries smell like). She has a starfish in her hair and a seahorse friend. But we had Mermaid Bubblebath last time. On the other hand, Pirate Bubblebath is also quite exciting. He has a sword and an eyepatch and we haven’t bought him for a while. But we can’t remember what he smells like, he’s not pink and he’s also a *boy*. You can see MiniMunkie’s dilemma. It took some careful deliberation over the course of 10 minutes. I did my best to contribute, but I only have a layman’s understanding of the situation.

Finally a decision was made and the Pirate was selected. We wandered off to pay but as we left an older lady stopped me. People often comment on how sweet MiniMunkie is. Her curly hair, cupid’s bow pout and big blue eyes belie her feisty nature and absolute certainty that she’s the boss of everything.  But this time the lady surprised me by saying that I was sweet as well as MiniMunkie. She spent a few minutes saying that she’d seen us round the store doing our shopping together and she thought that I was doing a lovely job as a Mum. I was stunned speechless. Not because I think I’m a terrible mum, although we all have those days. It was just that this wasn’t a particularly special day. We were just getting on with stuff that needed doing, me with a sore neck and MiniMunkie covered in steamed milk. And a stranger saw something lovely in that and then bothered to take the time to stop and encourage us.

So, I’d like to say thank you to the lady in the pink coat. And encourage us all to take the time to see the loveliness in each other. You never know when you’ll be changing someone’s day for the better.