“I’ll always stop and let strangers see the baby.
It’s only other mommies that ask. They never have a baby with them, but I can tell they had a baby once.
A baby who’s been out of diapers for years. Who sleeps through the night, dresses herself, and even has her own career now.
You know, a baby who doesn’t need Mommy quite so much anymore.
In many ways, these mommies are free. Free of the great shackles of having a little one.
Free, but missing those past precious days. Free, but still wanting to see my baby’s face.
Needing to see his face.
Needing to remember the precious little life they once nurtured.
I see myself in these women.
Because I can imagine myself 20 or 30 years from now, with my own babies grown and flown away. Walking freely in the grocery store—no bulky diaper bag, no heavy car seat, and no worries about making the next naptime. Browsing at my own, slow, self-serving pace.
I see myself free,
but somehow yearning.
Remembering those years with littles as the hardest, yet best years of my life.
So if a fellow mommy asks to look at my baby boy? The answer is yes, an emphatic yes.
The answer will always be yes.
And years from now, I hope the next generation of mommies will be just as generous. Allow me a moment to gaze, smile, reminisce, and appreciate the great privilege of getting to be Mommy.
I hope it’s never lost on me.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Katy Dodds. Follow her journey on Instagram and Facebook. Submit your story here, and be sure to subscribe to our best love stories here.
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