Between the slew of parenting books on the market, nagging mother-in-laws and unsolicited advice from strangers, it’s pretty easy to feel inadequate as a parent these days.
If your child is screaming in public, you spoiled them; if your child is too poised and proper, you’re too strict. Whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, going all-organic or all-Lunchable with your kids, it seems there’s always somebody pointing a finger at what you’re doing wrong.
And to top it off, you just never know if the life lessons and character you’ve ingrained in your kids have really sunk in, regardless of whether you’ve checked all the right boxes or not.
With all the pressure surrounding the full-time job that is raising humans, Tara Parker Routzong certainly knows the feeling of failing as a mom because she simply “can’t do it all.”
But it’s in moments like the one that unfolded this weekend with her son, Landon, that she’s reminded she may not be doing such a bad job after all.
Facebook
The Alabama mom was going through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru to grab a quick bite for lunch when Landon noticed the Florida license plate on the car in front of them. Immediately, his heart broke for the anonymous stranger who he knew must be fleeing Hurricane Irma, and he insisted that they do something about it.
“Landon saw the car in front of us was from Florida (we have been talking about Irma today),” wrote Tara on Facebook. “He declared we were paying for their meal and I agreed.”
We’ve all heard of paying it forward in the drive-thru, but “how do you pay for the car in front of you?” she questioned…
“You run toward their window with a debit card in hand and scare the mess out of them.”
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And that’s EXACTLY what her brave little boy did.
Upon striking up a brief conversation with the man, Tara learned that Landon’s instincts were, in fact, correct:
“The man has left his home in Miami and was passing through to go stay with family in Birmingham. I told him we hoped he returned to his house untouched and that we’d keep him in our thoughts. Landon and I both had tears in our eyes from how appreciative he was.”
The proud mother closed with an all-too-relatable nugget of parenting wisdom that is sending waves of encouragement to mothers across the web:
“I often feel like I’m failing because I can’t do it all, all the time and then things like this happen and remind me that I don’t have to. My most important job is going just fine.”
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Mamas, when you feel like you’re not enough, Tara’s story is a heartwarming reminder that you’re probably doing a much better job than you think you are.
All the praise to this sweet boy for setting an example of kindness that we all can aspire to. Irma may be wreaking havoc, but it’s drive-thru angles like Landon that are a beacon of light in the storm.
