Blue Light Special

Today I woke up with the urge to shop. My body knew it had just been in Sioux Falls for a long weekend and was all but deprived of this basic necessity. I wanted to get a new comforter for the guest room and the list of necessities (aka the "Walmart list") is always growing.
At breakfast, I threw out, "Hey--Would Teresa and I be able to go to Aberdeen this afternoon?" Since it was a rainy day, David said it would work for him to hang out with the boys. After Teresa's nap, we were on our way.
It is becoming more and more obvious that my little sweetheart is nearing her 2nd birthday. We had more than one power struggle on our little shopping excursion.
As she was throwing a tantrum in the K Mart check out, the clerk glanced up at us and looked concerned. I told her that my little girl just likes drama and that she would be fine. A minute later, like a light switch had turned off, she was just fine.
Now, this clerk could have rolled her eyes at us. She could have overruled me and handed Teresa a sucker. Instead, she encouraged me and told me I was doing a good job. Her encouragement made my day.
Motherhood can be a pretty thankless job. I have never heard, "Thanks, Mom, for making me cry in my room until I put on my own clothes. My wife will really appreciate not having to dress me someday." Or, "Thanks for camping out in the bathroom when I was 3 until I gave in and went potty. Wearing a diaper would be really embarrassing at school."
I have a supportive husband, parents, in-laws, family, and friends and I still feel overwhelmed some of the time. (OK, most of the time.) I feel sympathy for those parents who do not have a cheering section to give them a little "rah rah" now and again.
I am just as guilty as the next mom for thanking God the screaming child in the toothpaste aisle is not mine, sometimes even coming home to tell David about the awful behavior I witnessed.
But, from now on I am going to try to take Mary's cue and offer encouragement instead. If we want this generation of children to grow into strong adults, they need strong parents to raise them.
A kind word or even a sympathetic smile goes farther than an eye roll any day.