She was walking through the store with her two kids.
Picking up their grocery shopping aisle by aisle.
But her children weren't adhering to the rules of shopping; they weren't being quiet and reserved.
Her children were throwing items out of the cart, fighting over a balloon, and trying to be Superman.
Why were they doing this? Because they're toddlers.
Sometimes people forget that our children were once toddlers too, and no one can actually say they had toddlers who never indulged in a bit of devilment, they don't call it the 'terrible twos' and 'threenagers' for nothing.
But she could handle it; this mum had been through the ringer, she could handle what her kids were firing at her, correcting them at each turn.
What she couldn't handle? That would be the stares and glares.
Aly Brothers had entered the store with her two sons full of life, but she left in tears.
Because her trip to the store had slowly beat her, as with each aisle she turned into, there were new stares, ones from people who clearly believed she couldn't control her children.
One older gentleman whispered, 'she's pretty young for two kids', and that's when Aly's heart sank and the tears began to fall.
"My two blonde haired, blue eyed, angel faced toddlers were not so angelic today. I stopped multiple times and composed myself and my children [in the store]," exclaimed the mum-of-two.
When her tots saw balloons in the store, they wanted one, but they cost $8 each. Compromising, Mum bought one balloon which her boys could share, and share they did.
Until they got to the cashier desk that is: "While we were checking out they did not want to share. They screamed, they cried, they fought. I handed the balloon to another cashier to be put back and they cried louder."
"My youngest pushed buttons on the card machine while my oldest picked up candy. The people in line behind me glared. The cashier glared."
And that's when Aly heard the whispers and felt the stares more deeply than ever before, but while she sat in her car with tears falling down her cheeks, she knew she was strong enough to fight back.
"They don't know me. They don't know me as a mother. They don't know my children. They don't know I was married before I started a family. They don't know I left that marriage because of abuse knowing I would have it just as hard as a single mother."
"It's hard people. The glares and whispers and judgments are hard. Sometimes I can control my children and sometimes I can't. Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don't. Sometimes I can handle it and sometimes I break down."
Knowing that these days will pass and her toddlers will eventually be grown, Aly knows deep down that those days will be just as hard, but she wants people to be aware.
"If you see a parent struggling, if you see a kid throwing a tantrum, if you see a mum on the verge of tears, please say something nice. Please don't glare with judgement."
"And to all mums out there having a day like mine... I see you, I know you, I love you. You are strong and you are doing just fine."
We have all been in this mum's shoes in some shape or form, we need to support one another mums.
