A couple of weeks ago, I had a very special moment with a mom I do not know.
It was a moment that stuck with me for days after it happened, an experience that reminded me about the inexplicable importance of encouraging one another.
Let me set the scene up for you: there I was on the playground, sitting on the sidelines in my sherpa and sweats, watching my son play an epic game of tag.
Amongst all the laughter and chaos, I noticed one small child lagging behind, running after my son with all his might. Immediately, I could tell this wasn’t just about the game for him. He had an energy that I could feel: he didn’t just want to play the game, he wanted to be part of it..
Once I realized this, I decided to call a time-out and wave my son over.
I held his shoulders, looked him in the eye, and said “Slow yourself down for a second. Your idea of tag isn’t this little guy’s idea of tag. He wants to know he’s a part of the game. How good would it feel if you asked him if he wanted to play? Then when he’s chasing you he feels part of something instead of removed from it.”
My son nodded in understanding. He asked the little boy to play, tapped him on the shoulder, and the game started up again.
Moments later I got my own tap on the shoulder.
Words of reinforcement were spoken.
“I heard what you said. The way you spoke to your son. From one mom to another- you’re doing a great job.”
A random playground mom’s words caught me off guard. I thanked her and as she turned away, I felt myself misty-eyed.
Why had her words struck so deep?
I hadn’t done anything miraculous, I wasn’t mom of the year. But I was seen. I was acting, as many women do, out of intuition, an innate “seeing” of how to respond to the needs of our children…and others’ children. She caught me in the moment and acknowledged that what I was doing was special.
The truth is, mothers do special things all the time. But we are not always acknowledged. And the desire to feel seen is an emotional and biological need. What that mom didn’t know was that a few encouraging words gave me the dose of confidence I needed to take on the rest of my day.
As women, we need each other. We need to encourage each other. If we want our work in the world to matter, as mothers, as creators, then we should use our words to lift each other up. It makes the world a better place.
Never underestimate the infinite power of a few encouraging words. Tell someone when YOU SEE their magic happening. Especially another woman.
For more content and uplifting conversation, apply to the Women of Abundance Facebook Group– we are a powerful group of women seeking to create more and more abundance in our lives- and we will! We hope to see you there!
