In the Dressing Room

I walked into the dressing room of a store the other day to try some clothes on.

Another mom walked in beside me pushing a stroller with a newborn in it. She was balancing a stack of clothes in her arms and being trailed by her daughter, about three years old.

After they went into a stall and a few minutes passed, I heard the little girl ask, “What’s that?”

“That’s mommy’s tummy,” the mom answered.

There was a pause. Then,

“It’s big,” the girl said, innocently.

“Yes.” The mom was matter-of-fact. “It’s still big because your sister used to be in there. But it will get smaller again. That’s why mommy’s picking out some new clothes.”

“Oh,” the girl said, her mom’s answer satisfying her.

The conversation touched me, and it made me think about all that comes with being a mom—the good (a sweet little newborn asleep in a stroller), and the not-so-good (a body that’s different than it used to be, at least for a little while).

I loved the way the mom responded to her daughter—not defensive or irritated, but cheerful and sweet.

Here she was, just a short while after giving birth, back in the stores trying on some non-maternity-but-still-probably-bigger-than-her-normal-size clothes, and she took it all in stride.

As moms, we have to do that, right?

After all, we give a lot…

our bodies, our time, our sleep, our priorities…

our hearts.

And even though sometimes it’s hard to remember,

when you’re trying to fit back into your pre-pregnancy clothes,

or when you’re up in the middle of the night for the fifth time with a screaming baby,

or when you’re sitting at the doctor’s office all morning because both of your kids have ear infections,

it’s all temporary.

It’s all fleeting.

And it’s all so worth it.

Genny Heikka is a mom, author, speaker, parenting blogger, and coffee lover. Stop by her blog My Cup 2 Yours and share a cup!