This morning I went to a meeting with the Andy Thomas crew for the first time in a while. (He's the guy whose book I co-wrote, The Job I Need Needs Me.) Since I hadn't been with the team in quite some time there were new people to greet, including the young mother of a two-year-old little girl.
As soon as we all sat down and prepared to start the meeting, the little girl started to cry because she didn't want to be put into a high chair. More accurately, she started to HOWL. Very loudly. In fact, the whole Earth Fare building seemed to be looking at our table.
Oh my GOD, what a spoiled brat! I thought to myself and probably to everyone else by the look on my face. It was obvious the little girl just wanted her mother's attention. Finally, in efforts to calm her down, her mom gave her a chocolate chip cookie and the kid settled into chocolatey silence. The meeting went on as planned, although it was hard to focus with the kid smearing goo all over her face and hair right beside me. I looked over at her and caught her gaze while the rest of the folks in the meeting discussed sales, networking, and whatever else.
Have you ever caught a two-year-old's gaze? I mean a stranger, not your own children or your family members. It's such an honest look. I think we actually communicated. I could tell by the sheepish look in her eyes that she knew she had misbehaved for no reason.
At the end of the meeting, I spoke briefly to the mother and said goodbye to the little girl, whose name was Reese.
"Can you say goodbye to Denise?" her mother asked her.
"Bye-bye 'Neese!" She waved her chubby hand at me, and my heart just melted. I found myself thinking maybe she wasn't a brat, after all. In fact, maybe her mother was going about it all wrong, giving her cookies and movies on a portable dvd player. From the look I saw in Reese's eyes, she's capable of good, old-fashioned reason.
Sometimes I can't wait to be a mom.
But it'll be after I finally get sick of partying and buying handbags.
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