When my husband and I were grocery shopping a couple of days
ago, I saw a young couple in the self-checkout line. Their toddler was fussing a bit when sitting
in the cart, and her dad went to her and put his arms around her and then
kissed her on the head. The little girl
seemed to feel better and calmed down. It
was such a beautiful moment.
All kids should have parents as good as that young man. All kids deserve that.
I was wishing later that I had said something positive to
him about what a great dad he was. I
know it could’ve been a bit awkward, but maybe he would’ve liked to hear
it. I hope his wife or girlfriend
appreciates what a good man he is, and tells him so, too. Don’t just take it for granted if a man is
that good, kind, and loving. Acknowledge
it and respect it.
The mom is probably a good person, too. She was doing the grocery scanning, so she
was busy, but she looked like a kind person, too. So, that kid is lucky. Many kids aren’t.
In contrast, I saw a woman once at the Target snack bar with
her girl who was about 7 years old maybe (I’m not good at guessing ages). The girl was eating her lunch or snack and
the mother spent the entire time doing things on her phone. I was sitting there a long time waiting for
my husband to do some shopping (so I wouldn’t go in with our list and spend
twice as much as he would), and the whole time this woman just ignored her
daughter, didn’t say one word to her.
Now, I’m not saying that kids should be constantly
entertained, never have one second of boredom, or anything like that, but I do
think that a kid shouldn’t have to sit in silence eating, as if they are alone
(and for all intents and purposes, she was alone). That mom could’ve taken the time to actually
converse with her daughter, create a moment based on love and caring. I know I shouldn’t judge people, but that mom
made me angry, especially because her daughter looked so sad the whole
time.
If you are a loving and attentive parent or grandparent,
then I’d like to express my thanks to you, on behalf of your child and everyone
else, too. The world needs more love and
caring all around.
Also, if you know someone who is a good and loving parent or
grandparent, please try to let them know how you feel, and that they are doing
a good job. I’m sure they need to hear
it sometimes.