"I felt the tug on my sleeve and looked down to find him standing motionless. His mouth was moving but I couldn’t make out his words. His quiet body in the noisy room caught me off guard. I bent down to find his voice."
"My daughter is speechless and her eyes begin to glass over. I LOST MY MIND. I had a literal, physical reaction. I put my hand up and said 'STOP! She is 13'..."
It was that tense, harried persona that was the norm for a busy, chaotic life. My four-year-old had come up behind me quietly, and I didn’t even realize she was there until she spoke. “Just breathe, Mom.”
I never want to forget how to appreciate each moment for what it is, a passing morsel of time that tics away far too quickly, a moment that could fall away and be forgotten if I don’t take the time to look and lock it away.
"Mama glanced over at her but never got off the phone. After 10 minutes Mama ended her call, collected the sunscreen that was never applied, the water toys that never touched the water, and then her daughter and left the pool."
Now your friends just know that you are human. You didn't stop being strong. You didn't stop being capable. You aren't going to be an outcast. You are going to open a dialogue that needs to exist between us as mothers.