To the Man at the Baby Pool

This is a belated letter from the mother who sat quietly watching from the side of the baby pool that hot sunny day last summer.  You may not have noticed her watching, but she was.  She noticed the little boy glued to your side.  She watched quietly as over and over again he wanted to show you his tricks.  She listened as he talked to you; this little boy who just kept wanting to talk to you.  And she noticed that even though you already had your hands full with a newborn and a toddler of your own, you acted like you cared about this little boy who would not leave your side.  The mother sat by quietly noticing as you watched him, and you listened to him, and you smiled at him.  And you acted like you cared.

And I hope, that even though she didn’t come over and say it, because it is really hard to say it to a stranger at the pool, but I hope that you could see the thank you in that mother’s eyes.  I hope you could feel the gratitude in her heart.  I hope you could sense the good you were doing for the little boy you didn’t know at the baby pool who wanted to show you everything.  Because that little boy whom you watched and patiently listened to, and didn’t seem to mind that he was stuck to your side, that mother watching is his mother.  And he has no Daddy.  And there are many things that mother watching can do for her little boy.  But she cannot be a Daddy.