You are out at some event. Your baby is snuggled in close in your favorite sling (wrap, mai tei, snugli, etc.). You are having a nice time. Baby is enjoying watching all the people and things. You walk past about a million strollers. You've seen at least one mom carrying a squirmy baby who does not want to sit in the stroller her husband is pushing. And then you see her. The other mom with her baby in a carrier. It does not matter if you and she have the same carrier or not. The two of you will automatically smile at one another. And it is an extra warm smile.
It is a smile that says, "Hello." It is a smile that says, "Oh, how I wish I had a second to sit and talk to you. We would probably be good friends." It is a smile that says "Hey, I like that pattern." It is a smile that says, "Hey, did the rude guy hassle you too?" It is a smile that says, "You have been told by your mother (mother-in-law, sister, cousin, friend, etc.) that you are going to spoil that baby if you do not put her down." It is a smile that says, "You understand." It is a smile that says, "Do you use your stroller to carry extra coats, your diaper bag and all the other things your kids want you to carry too?" It is a smile that says, "I hope you are enjoying your day as much as I am."
Hubby asked once why we all do it. Why we cannot walk past each other without smiling. And I think it is because we feel an immediate sense of community with one another. We immediately relish in the fact that we are not the only one. We were okay with being the only one, but it is always nice to have someone like yourself around. But I think a big part if it is that it makes us genuinely happy to see each other's babies being worn. Not that the baby in the stroller makes us unhappy (okay, they do if they are crying - but if they are enjoying themselves and exploring all the things they see and they are happy, then we smile at them, too) but there is something about seeing a baby being worn that makes us happy. Maybe it is the maternal instinct in us. The part of us that turns our head slightly whenever a child cries; The part of us that smiles at the joke we are told by any child even when it does not make sense; The part of us that notices the little child who seems lost and will not let that child out of our sight until his parents are found; That part of us sees the baby (toddler) in the carrier and is just happy to see that baby because we know all the ways they are benefiting from being worn.
This post included in Real Life's Your Life Your Blog
It is a smile that says, "Hello." It is a smile that says, "Oh, how I wish I had a second to sit and talk to you. We would probably be good friends." It is a smile that says "Hey, I like that pattern." It is a smile that says, "Hey, did the rude guy hassle you too?" It is a smile that says, "You have been told by your mother (mother-in-law, sister, cousin, friend, etc.) that you are going to spoil that baby if you do not put her down." It is a smile that says, "You understand." It is a smile that says, "Do you use your stroller to carry extra coats, your diaper bag and all the other things your kids want you to carry too?" It is a smile that says, "I hope you are enjoying your day as much as I am."
Hubby asked once why we all do it. Why we cannot walk past each other without smiling. And I think it is because we feel an immediate sense of community with one another. We immediately relish in the fact that we are not the only one. We were okay with being the only one, but it is always nice to have someone like yourself around. But I think a big part if it is that it makes us genuinely happy to see each other's babies being worn. Not that the baby in the stroller makes us unhappy (okay, they do if they are crying - but if they are enjoying themselves and exploring all the things they see and they are happy, then we smile at them, too) but there is something about seeing a baby being worn that makes us happy. Maybe it is the maternal instinct in us. The part of us that turns our head slightly whenever a child cries; The part of us that smiles at the joke we are told by any child even when it does not make sense; The part of us that notices the little child who seems lost and will not let that child out of our sight until his parents are found; That part of us sees the baby (toddler) in the carrier and is just happy to see that baby because we know all the ways they are benefiting from being worn.
This post included in Real Life's Your Life Your Blog
15 Comments:
Thanks for your kind words! I love hearing from you.