My Own Cheerleader

We all need a little encouragement sometimes. Last week Alyssa announced that she had to go potty just as we were leaving the grocery store. Instead of turning back to go inside to use the store's restrooms, I opted to hurry home. It's not a long drive, and Alyssa did just fine; I just spent the whole way home saying, "Just a few more minutes. You can do it. We're almost home."

Fast forward to yesterday. I've been trying to drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day, and for some reason, the more water I drink, the more I have to go. Yesterday we dropped Brian off at school, then headed to WinCo to pick up some things to make graham cracker houses for preschool. Halfway down the grocery list, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. By the time we were done, I really had to go, but I didn't want to bother with leaving the cart and taking two children into the bathroom with me, so once again I opted to hurry home.

I paid for the food, loaded it into bags, hurried Alyssa along (she claims that she doesn't dawdle), and stuffed the bags into the car. While I was rushing out of the store, I told Alyssa that I had to go potty really, really bad, and that's why we were in such a hurry. It didn't change a thing - "Okay, Mom," twirl "I'm coming," - but she did hear me.

On the way home we hit traffic. Traffic! In Cornelius, Oregon! And I found myself wishing I had just used the restroom at the store. "Oh dear," I moaned. Then I heard from the back seat, "You can do it, Mom. You just need to hold it a little longer."

"Yeah," I said. "I can do it. I'm tough."

"Yeah. Not like those other girls. You can do it." Physically, I didn't feel any better until I unloaded the groceries after running inside. But sitting there in the car, in absolute discomfort, I realized that I have a friend who believes in me and is there to support and encourage me when times are rough. And even though she's only four years old, I'm thankful for that friendship.