Time Flies

The noise was loud in the market. The end display of canned baked beans had been accidentally knocked over by the person stacking them.  The cans were crashing to the floor and rolling all over the hard tile.  The stunned worker had a look of anguish on his face.  The store manager was quickly heading toward him.  I felt badly for him, a young man probably a few years younger than my son.  I wanted to go over and tell him it was just an accident, these things happen.  But, as I stood there watching the incident unfold, a young baby near me was crying, screaming loudly, from the noise.  The Mom was busy trying to hold onto her other child, keep him from going after the cans that were rolling all over the floor.  You could see her exasperation building.

The baby continued to scream, building to sobs as the mom looked dazed.  Then, without much warning, the mom’s patience was gone and a rage set in.  She must have forgotten she was in public. She began screaming at her toddler and her baby, which, of course, only made them cry harder.  The scene was one of mayhem.  Between the baked bean fiasco and the noise from this young family, it was crazy. 

The mom continued to yell at her children, telling them they were embarrassing her, and to behave.  (I felt like saying the same to her).  I watched as her sobbing baby’s eyes looked at her mom as if to say, “Mom, I was frightened by the noise, please don’t make it worse, comfort me”!  But, instead, the mom was beyond reason. She yanked the hand of the toddler and with the other she pushed the cart hard down the aisle.  I heard the baby’s cries for a bit longer but gradually they subsided.  On purpose I wasted a bit of time on the aisle I was on, hoping they would get far ahead of me.  I couldn’t stand watching the fear on the children’s faces.

I am an “older” mom.  My ‘children’ are now 27 and 22 years old and the days of screaming toddlers are long behind me.  Of course I remember the stress of those times, there are challenging days, however, I felt like taking the mom aside and telling her how quickly these days pass.  Before you know it, your children are off on their own path.  You wait for phone calls and times shared together.  Those times are all you want.  I felt like telling her to treasure the moments when comforting your child involves nothing more than a good hug and kiss. When you hold them close and let them know they are safe, that you won’t let anything harm them.  Cherish those moments, for they fly by.

So, to all those young moms out there, please take a moment to realize that although the days of having young children may seem like they are never going to end, they will.  Appreciate them, comfort your children while it’s in your power to do so.  Remember, minutes and days may seem long, but years go fast.