One stranger’s words of wisdom have helped a very stressed mum look at motherhood in a better light.
She shared, “I heard an old man, who looked in his late 80s, whisper to his wife while I leaned over to pick up a spilled babyccino off the cafe floor.”
When her son knocked over the drink, the mum admitted that she felt extremely agitated, “My initial thoughts when I saw the cup leave Lachie's hands and smash onto the floor was, 'Far out, not again!'”
She was by herself, she hadn’t slept well the night before, her son was sobbing, and her other child was running around the café. It wasn’t a pleasant situation for the mum.
She said, “Part of me wanted to laugh, but the other half of me wanted to sit down on the ground and cry while screaming, 'Help me, I'm exhausted.'”
It wasn’t an easy day for the mum, “I just can't mum today,” she thought - until she heard the old man’s wise words.
The mum expressed, “Then I heard it, those eight words that changed everything... They were the best days of our lives.”
The mum was surprised by the man’s statement, “I turned and smiled - really? The little old man and lady both nodded at me and said, 'The best, by far.'”
The words calmed her down and reduced her stress levels. She realised that there is no point in worrying over little incidents.
“The chaos around me suddenly didn't feel painful or frustrating anymore. I wanted to bottle it up and STOP time.”
The elderly couple showed her how precious motherhood is, “I realised in that moment, that one day my babies will be all grown up with their own babies and they won't need me anymore.”
They helped her to see that every moment is special, even the stressful ones. It hit her that in many years to come, she will be in the same situation as the elderly couple, reminiscing about the good old days.
“One day, Rhett and I will be sitting at a café, watching young mums and dads with their babies, and wishing our babies hadn't grown up so quickly.”
Those eight words made the most powerful impact on the mum. She hasn’t been able to get them out of her head. “It really struck a chord with me; because you know what? It's so true!”
The mum shared that one day she will miss the sleepless nights, the never-ending exhaustion and the tantrums, “Sure, these days can be hard, they can be testing, they can be downright challenging; but I bet you a million bucks, they will be the best days of our lives.”
