On Saturday I decided to take a trip to Barnes and Noble to get some big sister books for the girls. They have been asking for them since the second we found out we were pregnant.
We made our way through the store looking at everything. We were walking hand in hand, laughing, joking, and I was answering questions about different things they were looking at. As we make our way to the check out, the young woman working calls us over to her work area. I place our 3 big sister books down, and then bent down and I lifted each girl one at a time high in the air, they enjoy saying hello and seeing what’s going on on the other side. This is something I do all of the time. It’s a little gesture that means so much to them. The young woman looks at the books, and at my children, and then at me and makes a comment I am very familiar with.
“Wow. You really have your hands full.”-followed by an eye roll.
My first reaction was thinking yes I do, because let’s face it, being a mom of two girls who are only 17 months apart, are convinced they are twins, who fight about everything, even if they agree on something… Well that’s hard work, but I love it.
I also thought about that lovely eye roll that was thrown in there. Needed? Absolutely not. I understand it, I do, many women do not want to start families until later in life. I respect that. I also respect that having a child, let alone two and one on the way was probably the last thing on this young woman’s mind. However, I expect respect in return.
Yes, I got married young. Yes, I had my first two children relatively young. And yes, I am having my third child well before many consider having their first… Respect me. Making a comment about my hands being full, and rolling your eyes at me, at my family, it is not necessary at all.
As I paid, and listened to my girls argue over who was going to hold the bag, I looked down at them and smiled. I looked at this young woman, and I smiled even bigger.
“My heart is more full than m hands will ever be.”
As we exited the store we were hand in hand, laughing, and joking. I wouldn’t have this any other way.
thebirthingbeeblog 