By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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When I see a little one throwing a tantrum in a public place, like a restaurant or a grocery store, I usually just try to give the parents space. I know they want to calm their child down and move on with their day as quickly as possible. And in order to do that their focus needs to be on their child(ren) and not on strangers.
One of our kids recently threw a temper tantrum in public. While I waited for my child to calm down, a stranger came up to me. She looked me in the eye, told me that I was doing great, and then walked away.
I’ve had strangers and friends talk to me during temper tantrums before. Sometimes it is to try to lighten the mood. Sometimes it is to lend a helping hand. Sometimes it is to let me know they’ve been there before.
But this stranger’s kind words were so simple and so quick, yet they truly helped me stay calm. I am grateful that this woman took a moment to show compassion and kindness to me. I hope soon I can pass her kindness forward to another parent who might just need to hear, “you are doing great” It’s so simple, yet sometimes it is exactly what you need to hear.
