It happened again tonight so now I have an adult witness. We took all 4 kids out for a walk and stopped at the park. Henry is getting better at walking and was laughing as he crawled through the tunnels. His giggles and funny little toothy smile always warm me to my toes. The big girls went playing on the big equipment while my husband and I sat on a bench to talk. That's when it happened.
A little girl in a green shorts outfit with perfect rows of braids started walking straight toward me. She was eating an apple and carrying a little pot of lipgloss. There were no other children around me. I said to Lee out of the side of my mouth, "Watch, she's coming to me."
She stood in front of me crunching that apple. "Hi", I said. "Is that apple good?"
"Yep!" And then she climbed right next to me. She even held on to me to help herself up. I asked her name and guessed she was four. I found out she was there with her brother and her dad and auntie were at home. She asked if she could come to my house and have some soda. I said, "No, you don't know me and shouldn't go with people you don't know."
She rested her arm against my leg and sort of cuddled in a way. Lee commented "You're Santa Claus."
My oldest daughter came over and sat and watched her. The girl visited with me and pointed out a stain on my pants. My daughter chuckled because she has seen this happen before. Little children flocking around the one mother on the playground.
The little girl asked me to watch her go down the slide and could I hold her apple. I watched her and cheered and told her what a great job she did and that she was brave and fast. She didn't want us to leave. I found her brother and asked her to take good care of her and get her home safely.
My second daughter said "That happens all the time." I know that some kids are just really friendly and warm up to strangers right away. But these kids can't help but make me feel like they are really craving some adult attention. Her own mom and dad should have been cheering as she went down the slide and cuddling on the bench. Kids can usually tell good people and this little one felt very safe with me. Experiences like that make me want to be a more loving patient mother and a better person.
3 comments:
oh my gosh...i'm going to cry! That would have been me 35 years ago...I agree...where was her mother! I hope she grows up to be a better one because you showed her kindness! God bless you!
I've had that experience too -- the "mom magnet" effect, I call it. (I have to say, all too often the adult in charge of the child in question seems to be yakking on a cell phone. Sigh.) Yay for you for being such a sweetheart about it. It's a bittersweet experience, isn't it?
Thank you both for commenting. Yes, it is bittersweet. You're right, the cell phone and other moms around. I'm guilty too and don't think I have to entertain them on the playground, but it's amazing to see kids so hungry for attention. You are both so sweet.
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