Anecdotes

Just wanted to record a couple of anecdotes.

We had all the Canada World Youth participants around for a party- 9 Canadians and 9 Ghanaians and some of their host families. Some of us were sitting around chatting and I don't know how it started but Brendan was telling each person what animal they would be if they were an animal. As in, he looks at someone and says "mmm, a sheep" "mmm, a kangaroo"... so we went round the circle and each person was a different animal. We also had a cow, a donkey and a few others. Then he got to one woman and said "mmm, a dumptruck". Anyway, it was pretty embarrassing, but wasn't so bad after he next called me a bull dozer.

We were in Tim Hortons killing time before we went to collect Steve from the airport. The place was full of people and when a car alarm went off just outside everyone looked out to see a very pregnant woman standing outside the bleeping car obviously talking to a child in the back of the locked car. She held it together and continued to try to convince the child to unlock the car but she was getting more and more frantic. It went on for minutes and I was just about to go out and try to help when the door finally opened. Well, she climbed in the drivers seat and burst in to tears. She was sooo upset. I couldn't just sit there any longer so I asked the two men sitting at the next table if they could watch my children while I went to see if she was okay. I ran out, knocked on the window and she opened the door and said "I'm alright, my kids locked me out" all between huge sobs. She was distraught! I put my arm around her and tried to comfort her and talked to the two little girls in the back and just waited while she calmed down. I started crying too because I totally understood how she was feeling (it hasn't been that long since I was that pregnant) Anyway, it felt like we just shared a moment, you know, powerful emotional stuff. :) Anyway, she had a good cry and then calmed down and thanked me and I left. And will likely never see her again. I won't forget it.

When I went back in and packed up the boys to head to the airport, an older lady at a nearby table said "you have a lovely manner with your kids, I saw how you were letting him choose where to sit and I love the way you speak to them" and a couple of other things. It was lovely! I was still feeling the emotion from comforting the woman in the car so maybe that's why I just felt good- like this is what being a mother is all about! Of course earlier that morning I'd been yelling at Brendan for something or other and threatening him with loosing his toy planes for a while and thinking "man, this is NOT an example of good mothering" but I guess we all have ups and downs.