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We all know how difficult it can be to run errands and get grocery shopping done with our little ones in tow. Parenting has it’s exhausting moments, there’s not doubt about that, but sometimes the smallest gesture from a complete stranger can turn everything around.
Such was the case for Jess Wolfe. The mom-of-four hand her hands full (literally) while shopping at the grocery store, and she was struggling to keep it together.
“Sweaty, baby strapped to my back, three year old insisting that her belly hurts and NEEDS her donut that she forgot to eat after lunch, 6 year old using everything in sight as a weapon, 7 year old wanting to spend the only dollar he has. This. This was my trip to the grocery today.” Jess recounted on her Facebook page. All of her kids were pushing her limits that day, and she didn’t know how much more she could take.
When she was bagging up her groceries, a woman approached her and asked her an unexpected question. “While I was bagging up my groceries (thanks Aldi) and trying to quietly keep from losing my ever loving sh*t, the lady next to me asked if I have one of those phones that takes pictures.” Jess wrote.
While the mom admits that the question initially annoyed her, she quickly changed her mind after speaking to the woman.
“Trying not to convey my annoyance to someone else adding to the million questions that make up my day, I replied that, yes I do have one of those fancy phones. She asked to take a picture of me with the kids. At the grocery. Together.”
As it turns out, the stranger wanted to get a photo of Jess and her family all together at the grocery store!
“She told me that she wishes she had photos of herself doing every day things with her kids. She validated the fact that a simple grocery trip is hard. She told me that what I do matters. She doesn't miss what made the days hard, but she misses what made them sweet.”
Though the moment was completely unexpected, it completely turned Jess’s day around. Now, she loves the photo the woman took more than anything.
“I will always cherish this picture and the message that came with it.” she wrote as she wrapped up her post. Obviously people agreed- her post garnered more than 137,000 likes and over 23,000 shares. Many parents commented on how sweet the gesture from the stranger was, and how important it truly is to capture these simple moments, as childhood seems to be gone in the blink of an eye.
What do you think of this story? Can you relate to Jess and her experience?
