To the good citizens

When you next see a new mother struggling to unfold a stroller, lift a car seat into a car, or carry groceries while toting a baby, please offer help. Even if she refuses you, new mothers need to be reminded the world holds compassionate people; people who care about the well being of others and understand that being a new mother, despite what some would have you believe, is difficult. Very difficult.

She’s probably tired. Very tired. She probably wakes at 2:30 every morning to the sound of the blinds tapping lightly against a window pane, convinced it is something that demands her attention. Something wet or hungry, or simply in need of touch.

She probably forgot to shower this morning, and later cried silently to herself that she could forget to shower. She probably looks in the mirror while getting ready for bed each evening and worries if she will ever feel normal again, or what normal is, or if normal will ever be what it once was. It won’t.

So next time you see a new mother struggling, or not, know that she is. Being a new mother often sucks. She’s probably worried she’s not doing it right. Remind her that she is; that there is no right, only trying or not. Remind her she has brought a child into a world full of good, kind people. People who care enough to offer help.

And not a bunch of assholes.