With A Little Help From a Friend-or a Stranger

   On Friday, I was picking up a premade dinner at the grocery store around 5:30 pm so that my family could have a meal that resembled something I would have liked to have made from scratch.  Many of the people who frequent this particular grocery store around this time of day have just finished a full day of work and are trying to grab some items to put together a meal for their family. Additionally, many of these working men and women are accompanied by their small children who have been just been picked up from daycare. It is an exhausting time of day for everyone.

As the cashier was ringing up my groceries, I noticed a woman three lanes down. She had on her business casual attire and was unloading several items from the bottom of her cart. This may not seem like a difficult task, however she had her sweet toddler asleep on her shoulder. I watched this mother struggle under the weight of the child, trying to use one arm to hold him so his head or body wouldn't shift and awaken him as she emptied the contents at the bottom of her basket. She successfully emptied her basket and her little one never woke up. 

I have thought about that woman for the last several days and wondered, why didn't I help her out? Why didn't the people around her help take her groceries out of the cart for her? Although I was three aisles away from her, I could have helped her and dismissed the scornful looks I would have received from the people waiting in line behind me. She didn't have that many things and it would have only taken a few seconds. 

After mulling over this situation quite a bit, I have decided to keep it in the forefront of my mind. I have made a commitment to try and reach out in a small way to another mother at least once a day. It could be as simple as a holding the door for a woman with a stroller to watching a friend's child for a few hours so that she can have a break.  All mothers need a simple act of kindness once in awhile and maybe the mother we assist will pay it forward and we will start a new trend.

First Steps

There's a first time for everything. Remember the first time you found out you were pregnant, the first day you brought your baby home or the first time they went to school. These were exciting times in a mom's life; albeit a little frightening too.

Right now I am in the midst of a major first and it has nothing to do with my children accomplishing anything. As a quick side note, I am excited to say that this is my first blog site and I didn't have to have my kids help me navigate through all of the set up! But my personal most exhilarating first, that has taken over my days and nights, is when I started my own business. Now I know that many women/mothers do this everyday but, when it is your own venture into a new world the excitement bubbles up around you.

When I had my first baby thirteen years ago, I had no idea how unprepared I was to raise a child. I was 1500 miles away from family, had just moved into a new city, had no support system in place and my husband and I started new jobs 5 weeks after our daughter was born. I often questioned my choices and I was sure I was the only mother who had such tremendous difficulty raising a child. I never reached out to other mothers for help because I thought I would not be considered  a "good" mother. As I had more children and became more involved in preschool, etc., I watched and talked with other mothers and saw that they went through the same issues I did. Over the years, I have enjoyed reaching out to other women for support and in return supporting them. Through these efforts, I have built incredible friendships, raised three fantastic kids and gained a plethora of wisdom along the way. I have learned that strong and diverse support system is an important part of motherhood and that it really does take a village.

So, now I have decided to reach out to the women in my community through my new business. The goal of my business is to bring women together to collaborate on ways to support each other and be good to themselves through the ever changing stages of parenting. My dream for the women who attend the various workshops I offer is for them to feel strong and confident as mothers who will then pay it forward by surrounding other mothers with a supportive network on whom they can rely. 

It has taken several years to get build my business but, it all started with a first step. Building and maintaining a strong network takes some time and effort but it, too, starts with a first step. Will you take your first step today?