Solo Mom: 'You take such good care'

Spring is finally here (or did we skip straight to summer?)! I, for one, am so very glad to be able to spend more time outside again.

One of our favorite spring family activities is getting our “garden” started. I put that in quotes because, to be honest, I’m not much of a green thumb myself. But, we certainly enjoy trying!

I took the kids to the farmers' market and the local hardware and garden shops in search of “the perfect plants." At least, that's my daughter’s personal quest.

She just turned 8 (Happy Birthday!), and is a little scientist at heart. She really enjoys reading the information about each plant and determining where it would be suitable, based on sun and water requirements, etc. My son, on the other hand, is 3 ½, and simply picks out everything red, his favorite color.

Either way, we make everything work to the best of our abilities.

On one of our runs out for supplies, we stopped in at Panera to pick up sandwiches for lunch. Already sweaty and dirt covered from a morning of digging holes in the yard, I thought we’d better take our food to go (You’re welcome.).

On the way out, each of us trying to balance carrying lunch and holding hands across the parking lot, we were stopped by an elderly woman.

“You take such good care of those kids,” she says to me, smiling at them.

That was it. I don’t know who she was, and I don’t know what specifically inspired her to say that. I’d like to think she recognized our happiness at being together, working on accomplishing something beautiful.

Of course, she couldn’t have known what we had been up to, but perhaps our sense of achievement just shone through.

Regardless of her reasons, I am thankful she spoke up. I know I take good care of my kids. It is obvious in their joy, but it’s nice to know that’s noticeable to others, even strangers, too.