The people you briefly love when you have children.

[Psammead]

Because they make your or your children's day.

I was thinking about this today when DD was waving madly at a bus driving by, and a woman waved back. Thank-you, woman. DD was very happy.

So.

1. People who wave from busses/trains etc
   
2. People in shops who give your children something free (balloons, slice of luncheon meat, bit of deformed criossant etc)
   
3. People who smile/wave/make funny faces/chat to your child in a queue, or on a bus, train, plane etc.
   

You are all brilliant human beings. Add to the list!

[Claxonia]

I love Beth Ditto because The Gossip were doing a photo shoot in front of the lifts in a hotel I was staying in and she stopped what she was doing to help me lift my pushchair over all the cables and stuff.

[bogeyface]

Nothing better than a nice Sleb clax :)

[NinjaChickenLegs]

The lovely Paramedic who i'll never forget for his kindness.

After being wrongly diagnosed by a Doctor and sent home, my DP called an ambulance after I collapsed.
Paramedic knew it was an ectopic pregnancy within minutes of arriving.
A few hours later I woke from emergency surgery to find out he had been to visit me while I was in theatre.
The next day he came back with a bunch of flowers and to tell me he had made a formal complaint against the Doctor who sent me home.
DP also told me that he gave him a lift home from the hospital the night I collapsed.

Went above and beyond for us....Fab guy.

[BornToFolk]

The man in the souvenir stand at Horseguards' Parade today. I told DS he could choose a 15p postcard and gave him a 20p piece to pay with. The man handed him back his postcard and the 20p saying "keep that one, it's magic!"

Such a small gesture but so sweet (especially in London where it feelsl like everyone is out to get your money!)

[afussyphase]

Everyone on the tube who offers us a seat when dd1 (almost 4) and dd2 (15 months) are so, so tired (not to mention me!). Thank you, you make every day just that much better and commuting with them on the tube isn't always a picnic! All the lovely people who entertain especially dd2, and are entertained by her, even when it's so crowded... Yes yes to the bus/tube drivers, policemen etc who wave back, and people on boats - that used to just make dd1's day when she was 2. And all the incredibly patient people who let her play with their dogs.

[Birnamwood]

To the gruff consultant who, after we had been suffering for months with ds1's reflux and feeling like a totally crap mother, told me I was doing a fantastic job and ds was such a lovely little boy. He also held my hand when I broke down in tears of relief that a, someone actually believed that ds had reflux and b, believed in me.

To the lovely man in IKEA who held ds2 6mths while the evil check out woman scowled at me and literally threw my items down the conveyor. I'm not normally one to get flustered but both the boys were tired/bored/frustrated at being dragged round IfuckingKEA and I was >< this far away from losing it with the woman.

And, to the very kind man who went and rescued ds2's brand new toy that had fallen out of the pushchair and rolled off the harbour wall whilst on holiday in St Ives. He didn't have to do it, but I think he saw me looking over the railings trying to work out how to get 3yo ds1 and ds2's pushchair down the steps and back up again before the tide came in :)

[kirriemummy]

The lovely granny in the seabird centre cafe in North Berwick who noticed that her grandson was staring very hard at my totally failing attempt to BF in public for the first time in public and said reassuringly "it's the cakes!!!! he's looking at the cakes behind you!!!!!!"

My stepmums' mum, who realising I was having major problems BF when we brought DD to see her, without a fuss or a overdramatisation went and got me a proper pillow, and also gave me a hands on lesson on what went where!

The man in the digger in the Lidl car park who made the whole thing turn around because he saw my rapt DD watching

The bus driver who swished his window wipers at the appropriate point of our "wheels on the bus" song.

The lady who held my DD for me while I got into the swimming pool

Anyone who has ever taken the time to speak to her like she's a little person with opinions that matter - and there are a fair few of you....

Thank you! You all rocked our world.

[ChopstheDuck]

the italian guy in the fudge shop in Windsor, who saw my kids looking in the window and called them in to give them free samples. Then when dt1 weed all over his floor, was absolutely brilliant, went off to get a mop and bucket, and wouldn't hear of me cleaning it up.


The fab anaesthetist when i had the twins by section, who tripped over my drip line twice, made me laugh and forget my fears.

Ds1's occupational therapist, who taught him to tie his shoelaces by making up a story about a meerkat and a tree.

And our emergency social worker. She was on a placement from Australia. She was the only worker who ever considered my needs and listened to me as well as the children.

[ModreB]

The teacher in Y3 that gave DS2 (who is ASD) so much confidence, by just understanding him.

[ModreB]

And the bin men who let me hold up DS1, when he was about 3yo, to push the button to lift the bins. Every week for at least a year.

[thehat]

All the lovely people who comment on both my DDs red hair.

I'll do the same when I am an old lady and see a family with red headed children.

[VikingLady]

So many, now I am thinking about it - feeling so much happier now!

The taxi driver on the way in for my emcs. He gave us a 50p piece - the one with the Victoria Cross on - and said that he reckoned anyone who goes through that deserves the medal.

The anaesthetist during my emcs who knew I was petrified of the epidural, and kept talking to me about nonsense during the whole procedure. It really helped.

Staff in HofF restaurant whilst I was pg and since having dd1. They carry the tray for me without asking, fetch extras like straws and napkins when I forget - they are fab.

Staff in Pizza Express in Darlington. They showed us to a table where I could feed baby without feeling self-conscious, made a big fuss of baby when she wasn't feeding and were just generally helpful and positive about having a 3m baby in the restaurant. Thank you.

A multitude of old ladies and a couple of old men who have complimented me on dd1. I know she is lovely, but telling me so really cheers me up.

The spanish grandmother on the bus who came over to tell me she was pleased to see a baby in a sling, and made conversation when we wee stuck in traffic. It's sometimes lonely as I don't have family or many friends living nearby, and it really helped.

My dad died 18m ago and dd1 is only 3m, so he never knew her. He would have adored her, so everyone who tells me how much she resembles him. And particularly the lovely new mum I met at a bf group who wouldn't let me go home alone on what would have been my dad's 60th birthday, but made me come over to hers instead. It saved on a lot of crying.

[ThighsTheLimit]

The lady selling at a car boot sale who took DS's "switch card" (the pretend barclaycard they send out in junkmail) many years ago. He said "do you take switch" lol, and the delight on his face when she said "yes, of course I do" with a big smile.

[PepeLePew]

The Italian waiter who whipped dd, then aged 3 months, away into the kitchen so my ex and I could eat in peace rather than juggle a baby.

The bouncer at a wedding venue in the shady backstreets of Chicago who called his mum and asked her to come and keep an eye on ds in a room at the venue so we could enjoy the wedding in
peace (there is a theme...)

One of my clients who has never met dd but knows she loves penguins and brought a small stuffed penguin to a meeting when he knew I was not meant to be working as a way of saying sorry to dd.

The men digging up the road outside my house some
years ago who would turn on their pneumatic drills whenever ds appeared because they knew how much he loved them. And then spent many minutes each day telling him what all the different coloured pipes did

[MrsTerryPratchett]

The tiny little old lady who saw a man practically knock DD over, he was running and didn't see her. She came over and said, "what an arse". A woman after my own heart.

[ThePathanKhansWitch]

The man Angel who ran into the road and saved my child, after she had escaped my mum. Thankyou whoever you are. Grateful forever.

[Kbear]

The man who pushed my pram round the corner and into the pre-school asking if it belonged to anyone because I had driven off and left it on the side of the road.... the kids were in the car, just forgot the pram!

The pre school teacher rang me and said where is your pram Kbear and I said in the boot of my car and she said oh no it's not, it's in the boot of MY car....

[KittieCat]

This thread has made me a bit teary. Ahem.

The midwife who sat and chatted through the night with me while I was waiting for my induction to work. Poor DH was catching a few moments shut eye and I was tired, bored and uncomfortable. She was beyond lovely and I'll never forget her kindness.

The paramedic who was unfailingly kind and supportive when DS was taken to hospital at four weeks old. She shared a birthday with DS and was beyond brilliant. She even came back to check up on us later on.

The people who let us cross at crossings and wave back at DS.

All you vipers on Mumsnet who helped with my random bf'ing questions and who I know are around 24/7.

[steppemum]

all the grannies on the bus in Kazakhstan who used to take the kids from me and sit them on their knee when the bus was crowded (and my shopping and shout at the young men and tell them to stand up and give their seat to the mother and baby)

and everyone there who used to call my red headed ds 'the little red one' 'the little golden boy' 'the little sunshine man'

and all the people on planes and sleeper trains there who loved kids and smiled at them as they wandered up and down (and came back with sweets, apples, chocolate)

I miss them.

[showtunesgirl]

Peter Capaldi who was lovely to my DD when I went to visit my friend who works at stage door.

[showtunesgirl]

Oh and the lovely Irish midwife who on my complete meltdown on Day 3 in hospital after DD's not nice birth said: "I'm so sorry you're upset. Please let me know how I can empower you to feel better as that's my job". And she meant every word of it.

[PacificDogwood]

Oh, some of your stories have made me well up

Mine are:

The HV who, when I was really struggling with DS4, came round in her own time and took him away in his pram for an hour or so. One Blessed Hour on my own. I had a shower, a cup of tea that was still hot and watered some pot plants . She saved my life sanity.

The lovely elderly neighbour who came once a week when DS1 was tiny and held him while I had a shower so he would not scream. She saved my life too.
(Have you worked it out yet: I produce Screamers and have no family support + a husband who works 80+ hr weeks incl nights/weekends)

Everybody who looked at us understandingly and smiled when I wrestled with small toddlers running in different directions/hitting each other.

The consultant and midwife who looked after us in the Recurring Miscarriage Clinic - I hope Karma rewards them for what they do and how they do it.

My childminder (past and present), nursery workers, teachers who seem to genuinely enjoy teaching/looking after my kids and help me to see them like others do: as amazing small people.

steppemum, aww, it sounds like you had an amazing time.

[showtunesgirl]

And the Chinese waitress at my usual noodle haunt who insisted on taking DD whilst we ate and showed her off to all the other customers. She hadn't seen me since I was very pregnant and she joked to everyone: You see, you eat here and you get beautiful children!