A few weeks ago, I took my daughter to the pharmacy, following an exhaustive trip to the doctor. Just like any other sick and weary three-year-old, mine was no different when it came time to patiently wait at the pharmacy for the prescriptions to be filled. As moms, we have to get very creative entertaining our children in stores, and sometimes all efforts fail—miserably. To make matters worse, the pharmacy forgot about her prescription, which made the wait time even longer.
My daughter was not good in the store. No one, not even I (her biggest fan), could dispute that. We’ve all been there. What was truly upsetting was the number of dirty looks I received from other people. I am fairly certain most women have been in my shoes before, and I even apologized to one woman who made sure I saw how annoyed she was with my daughter. Then, at the height of my frustration, a woman on the toy aisle said, “I was in your shoes yesterday. Tomorrow will be better.”
Those two sentences instantly made me feel better and gave me strength to complete this ill-fated pharmacy journey.
No matter how annoying that screaming kid is at a store, I always try to give that mom a knowing glance that says, “Hey, I feel your pain. My kid does the same thing.” I can’t imagine ever doing otherwise, no matter how long it has been since I actually felt her pain.
One thing I know for sure is that moms always need encouragement. I hear that a lot from my girlfriends, on television, in books, etc. Our job isn’t easy and no one in history has ever disputed that. Frankly, it takes very little effort to support other mothers. So, the next time you see that disheveled and fatigued mother desperately trying to appease her sick child at the pharmacy, please just smile at her. It won’t make her troubles go away, but it certainly will help encourage her in completing her unfortunate task.
