What really goes on
What really goes on within the mind of a mother? I can't explain how your thought processes immediately shift to a whole new paradigm once parenthood embraces you....but they do. Let me give you a snippet of what might be going on in the minds of many a mother you pass today....
(Scene: In a busy grocery store.)
A young mother walks along with her 3-month-old infant sleeping peacefully in his infant seat set on top of her cart. A 70-year-old woman approaches, who genteely peers over to catch a glimpse of the sleeping child.
(Verbal exchange:)
Lady: "Oooohh, what a pretty baby. Isn't she sweet? Look how sweet she's sleeping. Look at all of that hair!" (She brushes at the infant's hair with her fingers.)
Mother: "Thank you. Thank you very much." (Smiles sweetly.)
(What the mother is REALLY thinking:)
"Are you crazy? Who do you think you are, a complete stranger, coming up and presumptiously touching my baby? Don't you know it's flu season right now? Is that a wheezing I hear in your chest? Do you smoke? Horrors....what IS that meat product you have in your shopping cart!? Please unhand my child, and let me keep walking. And for crying out loud, he's dressed all in BLUE. Can't you see it's a BOY?!"
(Scene: A beautiful park, complete with trees and expertly tended flower beds.)
A young mother lets her infant crawl among the grass, exploring her world. She sits down to catch up on some reading while her daughter plays. She looks up to see her daughter sitting in the grass, looking at passers-by, smiling and cooing. She looks up at the trees, and skims the floral bushes, smiling.
(Verbal exchange:)
Mother: "Isn't this a beautiful park, Stephanie?"
(What the mother is REALLY thinking:)
"Oh, my goodness, I can't believe I forgot Stephanie's sunscreen. Those sun rays must be at prime level right now. Oh, Stephanie, what is that? Don't eat it, please. It may be poisonous, or maybe somebody has spit on it. Or maybe a dog used the bathroom out here. Ew. Oh, gosh, is that a bee? Get away! Those birds up there look awfully suspicious. Do bluejays swoop and scoop? I can't absorb a single word on this page I'm reading. I have to watch her instead. Why is that man smiling at us like that? Is that a bug bite on Stephanie's shoulder? Did I bring her a snack?...."
(A little exaggerated, at best, but hope it sheds a sliver of light into the deep, deep recesses of a mother's thought processes.) :)
(Scene: In a busy grocery store.)
A young mother walks along with her 3-month-old infant sleeping peacefully in his infant seat set on top of her cart. A 70-year-old woman approaches, who genteely peers over to catch a glimpse of the sleeping child.
(Verbal exchange:)
Lady: "Oooohh, what a pretty baby. Isn't she sweet? Look how sweet she's sleeping. Look at all of that hair!" (She brushes at the infant's hair with her fingers.)
Mother: "Thank you. Thank you very much." (Smiles sweetly.)
(What the mother is REALLY thinking:)
"Are you crazy? Who do you think you are, a complete stranger, coming up and presumptiously touching my baby? Don't you know it's flu season right now? Is that a wheezing I hear in your chest? Do you smoke? Horrors....what IS that meat product you have in your shopping cart!? Please unhand my child, and let me keep walking. And for crying out loud, he's dressed all in BLUE. Can't you see it's a BOY?!"
(Scene: A beautiful park, complete with trees and expertly tended flower beds.)
A young mother lets her infant crawl among the grass, exploring her world. She sits down to catch up on some reading while her daughter plays. She looks up to see her daughter sitting in the grass, looking at passers-by, smiling and cooing. She looks up at the trees, and skims the floral bushes, smiling.
(Verbal exchange:)
Mother: "Isn't this a beautiful park, Stephanie?"
(What the mother is REALLY thinking:)
"Oh, my goodness, I can't believe I forgot Stephanie's sunscreen. Those sun rays must be at prime level right now. Oh, Stephanie, what is that? Don't eat it, please. It may be poisonous, or maybe somebody has spit on it. Or maybe a dog used the bathroom out here. Ew. Oh, gosh, is that a bee? Get away! Those birds up there look awfully suspicious. Do bluejays swoop and scoop? I can't absorb a single word on this page I'm reading. I have to watch her instead. Why is that man smiling at us like that? Is that a bug bite on Stephanie's shoulder? Did I bring her a snack?...."
(A little exaggerated, at best, but hope it sheds a sliver of light into the deep, deep recesses of a mother's thought processes.) :)
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