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!

[CallysMummy]

The amazing midwife (aptly named Joy) who looked after me on Labour Ward the day before I had my little boy??. the same midwife who returned to see us on the post-natal ward two days later and not only gave me my first Mother?s Day card but arranged for us to have our own private side room.

An angel from the NHS.

[startail]

All shop keepers, teachers, Drs, dentists, opticians, friends and indeed all adults who have and still do manage to cope with my fiddle with everything never stop talking DD1

The small, but non zero number of her peer group who manage it too.

Our long suffering library, who get a lot of DD1.

Also everyone who puts up fairy lights, Halloween pumpkins, jubilee flags or does fun window displays or fun gardens. Just everyone who makes a bit of effort to inject fun in the world.

[happyhorse]

The waiter in Cafe Rouge who pretended to use DS's toy credit card to pay the bill and gave him the receipt. He was so pleased that he'd paid for lunch

I wonder if these lovely people realise how much joy they bring our children - and how grateful we are.

[queenpin]

People who open doors for you when you have a buggy and who help to carry your buggy upstairs (especially those who do the second without you even having to ask them).

Ditto people who carry your tray for you in a cafe so you can herd buggy and children over to your table without coming back for your tray.

I stopped going to the snooty Costa near me as there always used to be three people standing around idly doing nothing behind the counter while I attempted to shuffle everything over to the table on my own. The staff in the tesco cafe, however, would abandon the till to carry my tray over, without even asking.

That may make me sound rather pathetic, but in the early days of coping with toddler/newborn/double buggy/c-section recovery these people made my day by making getting out of the house just that little bit easier.

[PeppermintPasty]

The lorry drivers who see my ds (5) by the side of the road pretending to pull on the airhorn (after dp taught him the signal). They always let the airhorn rip while grinning at him wildly. He is always thrilled, but it scares the bejeezus out of anyone else around.

[TheLittleFriend]

The very considerate woman who asked if we minded her dogs being off their leads whilst my nervous dd walked past.

[DeWe]

The firemen who sat next to us in a queue of traffic waving at ds who had earache and feeling very sad.

The doctor's receptionists who can always fit in a small child without blinking dispite them being fully booked up. Plus, The doctor registrar who, after ds had booted him in the chest (age 15 months) knocking him flying, took the time to build up a lovely relationship. (seeing him more often than once a week did help with that)

The dc ballet teacher who always makes every child feel special.

The bus driver on the Sainsbury's bus that used to carry my shopping to the door-even though the bus didn't stop next to our house.

The local newsagent chap, who is lovely to the dc when they take a small amount of money to buy ice cream/sweets and never runs out of patience even when they bring up sweets to the value of £1 and hold up 12p.

[legspinner]

Most of the above.

I'll never forget a lovely man who found DS's treasured blanket deep in the bush when he was going for a run, having bumped into me beforehand when I was fruitlessly trying to find it somewhere along the 3 km of trails I'd pushed the buggy along earlier, and asked me for my address in case he found it. Sure enough he did, remembered our house number and brought the blanket back to me a few hours later. I almost cried

[McKayz]

Oh and the waiter in Frankie & Benny's Xmas 2010. DS1 said merry Christmas and that he hoped the waiter had a lovely time. The waiter gave both boys selection boxes that they were using under the Xmas trees.

He was brilliant through the whole meal and we emailed head office and the store manager and I hope they passed on our thanks.

[joshandjamie]

waitresses who automatically bring colouring things over to your table, ask if you want the kids' food out fast and who don't mention pudding out loud, instead mouth it to you to figure out whether that's an idea you want put into your child's head.

And absolutely agree with the one about people complimenting you on your kids. We were once in Cognac doing a tour of the Remy Martin distillery. We were the only people with kids (foolish I know). We expected them to be hell, but amazingly (perhaps it was the alcohol fumes) they were angelic. Afterwards a lady came up to me and said: "When we saw you arrive, my husband and I said to each other, oh no kids, it will be ruined. But we were so impressed with your children. They were as good as gold and an absolute pleasure to have along. You must be doing something right."

I could have kissed her. (and my children because they are seldom as good as gold)

[PoohBearsHole]

The man at the super posh hotel who knew I had made a special visit to see him to fit in with him when I wasn't working that day who gave me one of their branded Teddy Bears for DD AND insisted that I stay and have tea with him which I wouldn't have got a table for months at said posh tea serving hotel

And the workers at Krispy Kreme who always always wave at ds and dd whilst they watch in rapture (although NOTE we are still waiting for the freebie - well I am )

The receptionist at work who allows both dd and ds to run along her desk so they can see out the window.

And the lovely people at Carluccio's who were happy to change pudding at not extra cost to dd when she decided she didn't like ice cream any more

[bronze]

The ones who tell you when they think you're doing well rather than just tut when they don't

I took my four on holiday oon a plane on my own. I was dreading the flight but they did ok the two year olf only getting upset on landing because of the pressure pain.
To the middleaged business man who came up to me afterwards and told me I had done a good job, I love you. it put me ina positive frame of mind and meant I coped with them for the rest of the trip much better too.


To the midwife who wrote on my ds2s notes. 'Well done you did a great job'. Thank you, so did you

To the rugby fans who gave my tired grumpy 18mth old ds1 their watches phones etc to play with to keep him entertained on long train journer and because you liked his smile and that he looked like he would be a rugby player one day. Thank you. You were very trusting and made life for a young mum much easier (btw he is now 9 and plays rugby)

To the tractor drives who wave back to ds3. you make his day (and mine)

To the young man who gave me his seat on a packed commuter train so I could sit and breastfeed my baby who had been crying. Thank you, everyone else just tutted

[queenpin]

oh, the gold trader woman with a stall near our local shops who gives chocolate coins to the DD's when we pass.

[legspinner]

oh and the children's entertainer with a stomach of steel on a horrendous ferry trip last year when most children were terrified of the huge waves and ill - he just carried on doing his act, reassured the children that it was all fine, which seemed to calm quite a few of them down, and handed out sick bags simultaneously! He made many travelsick parents feel much better that day.

[McKayz]

Lorry drivers that wave at us while we're on the school run. Especially the Eddie Stobart driver on Friday who beeped too. You made their day.

[WheresMyCow]

This thread has really made me smile

Can't think of anything to add at the moment though that hasn't already been said.

[paulapantsdown]

The little old ladies in the supermarket who stop you to tell you your babies are beautiful. Even though you know they are, sometimes you forget when you have had 2 hours sleep!

I have decided that I will spend my dotage admiring children and telling their mothers how well behaved/beautiful they are.

Also, the footy coaches who leave their homes on a windy, rainy, freezing cold Saturday morning to train and referee at my boys matches. Your reward is the utter devotion of my sons. You are the men they learn how to be men from. Thank you.

[emilymc]

I'd like to thank the lady on the bus in Peckham who sat my daughter on her knee & chatted to her while I struggled to put the buggy down so we would be allowed on the bus!

[lostintoys]

The parents in the park who are kind enough to include my little boy (an only child) when he runs up and tries to join in the games they are playing with their DC rather than ignoring him and turning away.

[bytheMoonlight]

The hooded teenager who helped me carry the buggy down the stairs, without me even asking for help, at the train station when I got off at the wrong stop - thank you so so much!!!

The lady who gave me some baby wipes in John Lewis changing rooms, after I realised I had left mine on the pram and had just taken newborn dd1's soiled nappy off and had no idea what to do next!

[sparklingwine]

The people in costa (not the incompetant staff) who came and helped/calmed me down when I'd managed to pour a whole cup of hot latte over me and 4 week old DD. Particularly the young guy who always carries a full first aid kit including burn treatment thingy "just in case he needs it". You were fantastic and coped very well with me weeping all over you. Thank you.
And yes, anyone who waves or smiles or doesnt tut when my kids are being horrible!

[suburbandream]

The people who don't judge, but give you a sympathetic look rather than a cat's-bum mouth when you are dealing with a public meltdown.

And the lady in Clarks with the infinite patience who doesn't mind when DS2 insists on measuring his own feet

[GetTheeToANunnery]

I do a lot of travelling on public transport with ds (22 months) and it can be a nightmare trying to run around with a pushchair, a suitcase, a handbag and a rather large Donald duck who has to come everywhere with us. I love the people who help me load stuff on the train/bus, or entertain ds on the journey. There is always someone willing to lend a hand.

[marshmallowpies]

DD is only 4 wks old so most of mine so far are from the hospital:

• the anaesthetists and their assistant who took such good care of me during my CS & were so reassuring.
  
• the wonderful student midwife who was so kind to me & DH and it turned out she wasn't a student at all - she'd qualified 18 months before but hadn't been able to get a permanent job so was still working for a student wage. Really hope she gets a proper job soon, she deserves it 100%.