Just a minute

We've had a busy week, a little busier than usual and I've fallen off the organised train a little lot. So this morning when it was time for breakfast and we had no milk left for cereal and no marg left for toast or to make school lunches with, I thought we were in for a rough day. A quick look through my bag found enough change to buy the boys tuck shop for lunch, one crisis averted, for breakfast we snuck through the maccas drive thru for some pancakes, it's Friday after all. One maccas breakfast won't kill them.
So once we'd dropped the big boys to school Charlie, Will and I headed for Coles. I was still feeling pretty hopeless so we whipped around the shop past the deli for a cheerio for Charlie and with kiwi fruit and strawberries he couldn't go past we were out of there. As I was dumping all our stuff at the register an older lady that usually serves us walked past, she stopped and put her hand on my arm then this happened:

Her: 'I just wanted to tell you, you are a wonderful mother, whenever I see you in here no matter how many of your kids are with you, your always smiling, the boys are always talking to you and your listening to them, and your never as stressed as half the mums we get in here with just one or two kids with them, they are well behaved children your obviously doing a wonderful job'
With that she was done and red faced I stuttered out a thank you and tried to explain to her I am called cranky mum and she must have missed all the crazy shopping trips where I'm dragging a crying kid out of the shops because I wouldn't buy him a lollipop. She shook her head at me and told me off, because kids always have a bad day now and then it's not a reflection on you.
I paid for our groceries and we were out of there, once I stopped feeling so silly about it I felt so much better about sending the kids to school with maccas in their bellies and tuck shop for lunch.

It was so nice of her to stop and talk to me, it made me all warm inside and it took her just a minute.
As mothers we can be so critical of each other, especially across generations, it's so easy to see another parenting style and shoot them down straight away. I'm putting this in my memory bank for when I'm old and I stop young mums in the shopping center instead of telling her she's doing it the wrong way or to cherish these moments before there gone I'll compliment her. After all, were all trying the best we can to make small people grow to be amazing big people and sometimes when you think your not being the best you can be as a mother all you need is a kind word from a stranger to cheer you up.

What's the last compliment you were given?