Unfiltered Story #271891

(Today, I was going down to the library like I do every day. While on the way, I decided to stop by a local restaurant I’d passed a few times, just to try it out. I go in, take a seat, and order my food. While waiting, a mother with two small girls and her friend takes a booth near me. Having grown up in a large family, I love children, so I couldn’t help giving the girls some friendly smiles. I’m actually fairly impressed with how well-behaved both of these girls are being, as my siblings tend to be little devils when they go out in public. I’m eating my food when I happen to overhear the mother talking with her friend. What I heard made me stop flat out.)

Mother: “- sometimes I just feel like a terrible mother.”

I had to take a moment to process that. I turned around to face her.

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, did you just say you feel like a terrible mother?”

Mother: (pause) “Yes.”

Me: “Ma’am, you are not a terrible mother. I grew up in a family of twelve children, I’m the oldest living, I have seen terrible mothers. You are not a bad mother. You’re doing great! I wish my siblings were as well-behaved as your daughters are!”

(It was brief, but I nearly thought the woman would burst into tears there and then.)

Mother: “Thank you. They aren’t as well behaved at home.”

Me: “Oh, I know what that’s like, but I mean it, you’re daughters are really well-behaved. You’re doing a great job!”

(After that, I packed my food in a box, paid and left. But I still couldn’t believe that woman thought she was a terrible mother. It’s ridiculous. She’s doing a great job. I’ve rarely seen children that age as well-behaved as hers. I just couldn’t sit by and let her put herself down like that, it’s ridiculous!)