Being a Mom doesn't mean you only care about your own children. It means you understand what it's like to have children, you understand what other Moms go through in the best and worst of times, you empathize when you see someone hurt by thinking, "I can't even imagine if that happened to my child, his/her Mom must be so shaken up", and suddenly, ALL children, even the ones that are young adults, can move your heart. Here's a few examples:
1. Last night watching the Dbacks game, Rookie Pitcher Archie Bradley pitched a ball and the batter hit it at 115 mph. It shot straight back to the mound and hit Archie in the cheek. Terrible to see, makes you sick to your stomach, but we watched him in Fall League when he was still a prospect. We watched him struggling to overcome obstacles on that field, cheering for him in the stands. Last night, my heart sunk, tears welled up in my eyes, and one of my first thoughts (besides throwing a quick prayer up to God that it's not as bad as it looked) was, "His mother is going to be scared to death when she sees that, she'll be worried sick and so upset she can't be with him here in Phoenix." Watching him just lying, not moving on the mound for what seemed like an eternity, wondering if he was unconscious with a fractured skull or jaw...it was horrific. All the "what-ifs" play through your mind, after all, he's barely in his early 20s, this could change his whole world. Fortunately, tests and CT scans showed a miracle - he was never knocked out, no concussion, no broken jaw or cheekbones, it missed his eyes, no missing teeth, only severe swelling and today they'll check to see if the changes in his sinuses are anything to worry about or not. He was back from the hospital and back in the park to congratulate his teammates after the game. He was more upset that he had to leave the game. He did an audio only interview after the game, sounded great, and said the first thing he did was call his Mom. He made sure to get some quick face time with her so she knew he was okay and he said it put a smile on her face. Even manager Chip Hale mentioned how hard this all was, not just as a coach, but as a parent. Can we parents relate?
2. Facebook friends had posted a photo of a young boy around 6th grade or so that had been bullied, with various bruises and cuts on his face. This one hit close to home because it was from the school where my sisters went, just down the street from where I went to 8th grade. The FURY that goes through Moms when we see this is hard to explain to someone without kids. We want to not only go after the bullies that did this, but the bullies' parents too! Our protective nature extends beyond our own children. Our heart can break in an instant with just a glance of a photo like that. I just don't understand how some parents can allow their children to do this to another child - maybe they don't know about it - but the school absolutely should call them in to see what their kids did. If they refuse to accept responsibility for their kids behavior, then some kind of mandatory counseling or public service giving-back project should be given as a sentence to those bullies.
3. In the movie Courageous, the first 5 minutes are absolutely heart-stopping. If you haven't seen it and plan to, stop reading and scroll down because I have to spoil it for you to explain my point. Anyway, in the opening scene, there's a gentleman who leaves his truck after pumping gas to go inside and pay the clerk. You see a punk teenager (around 20ish) steal the car and start to take off. The man runs out and literally jumps on the side of the truck, hanging on for dear life, reaching into the window to grab the steering wheel to turn the truck off the road. He's screaming for his life and trying to stop the man. You sit there watching thinking, it's just a truck - let it go and call the police. You have a description now. Then he manages to get the truck to veer off the road, the driver gets out, surrounding drivers and observers stop to help the man saying the usual, "it's just a car"...then it happens...he opens up the back of the crew cab and there in the back seat is his infant son strapped into his little car seat carrier. At that moment, every Mom's eyes instantly well up with tears at the what-ifs. We experience after-the-fact panic, fear, and relief, all at the same time. I won't ruin the rest of the movie for you, but if you're a Mom, you'll be tearing up all the way through that movie!
4. Okay, let's bring it around with a happy note. We've all seen those heart-touching Facebook videos people share that have comments like, "grab the tissues" or "touching moment". We Moms are so drawn to those. Sometimes I have to stop myself and say, "No. I can't go there right now" because I know it's going to affect my heart. Sometimes it's a child seeing their parent for the first time after returning from serving in the military oversees. Sometimes it's a baby hearing for the first time. Maybe it was a bride surprised by something touching her husband-to-be, or father did at the wedding to surprise her (children don't have to be babies). What about when you see a child born with a disability who overcomes to do something you wish YOU were strong enough to do? It could be a kind gesture to a hurting student. A child holding up a sign saying, "Cancer Free!!!"
It doesn't matter who's child it is, being a Mom isn't just about raising your own child, it's about joining a community of warm-hearted women who allow themselves to be vulnerable to embrace moments in the life of a child, even if it's someone else's child. There is something so special about hearing the name Mom that changes everything.
PS: I want to quickly state that I believe there are many Dads out there who also feel like this, and I understand there are parents out there who are not good parents. With that said, understand I write this from MY perspective.
Have a wonderful, warm and fuzzy day,
