I know what I'm doing!

Yesterday I went to the grocery store with my 2 youngest children, ages 5 and 3.   My 3 year old is going through a transition right now... she doesn't want to ride in the cart but she's not quite mature enough to be on her own 2 feet, either.  She just can't resist running off!  All that space, and a big, heavy cart to slow Mommy down are just too much temptation for her.

Since I only needed a few things, I used one of the little carts.  It was the perfect height for Drew, and I rarely use them so it was kind of a new thing for him.  He was begging to push it, and Sasha was having a fit because I was holding her (we were browsing the flowers outside near the parking lot and I was afraid she was going to get run over by a car), so I let him.  He rammed into the back of my legs a couple times, and almost took out a whole tables of pots before I chided him.  Just as I was saying "watch it", a man comes strolling out of the store and chastises me with "Let him do it, he needs to learn.  He can handle it, Mom," and gives me this look like "You really need to chill."  Normally I think I would have ignored him and kept going, but on this day I was feeling empowered.  So I looked him squarely in the eye and said "I know what I'm doing," smiled, and guided my kids into the store. 

My first thought was, "The nerve of some people!"  But then I realized that what was more important here was that I felt confident enough to stand up for myself.  I knew that I had handled the situation appropriately, and that my reaction was reasonable.  I cannot tell you how many times in my younger mothering years, however, that an experience like this would have shaken my confidence.  I would have stewed over it, and  fixated on whether or not I am a patient enough mother, and called my husband and friends and sought validation, and become bitter over this tiny interaction with a complete stranger.

As insignificant as it may seem, yesterday was a turning point for me.  An a-ha moment.  I DO know what I am doing.  I AM a good mother.  I finally feel the way I appear to others!  Lol.  When you have 4 kids a lot of people will naturally assume you know what you are doing.  Not always so. ;)  But I feel like my vast array of experiences have resulted in a pretty good grasp of things.  Or, at the very least, a little more confidence in myself as a mother.

We could all use a boost of confidence.  So, in honor of upcoming Mother's Day, I hope that each of you will find a moment to sit down and realize some way in which you are succeeding as a mother.  Don't seek the validation from someone or somewhere else, find it within yourself.  It's there, I promise.