The other day as I was driving down a busy street, I passed a mother with a toddler about 15 months old. In the brief time I glimpsed them I saw toddler squatting curiously on the sidewalk looking at the bushes, while the mother stood between the baby and the street. The mother was nearby but giving the toddler space to explore. A moment later they walked away from me side by side down the sidewalk.
What impressed me in that instant was that I had witnessed the essence of my opinion of good mothering - mother respecting baby's desire to explore the world; mother near by keeping baby safe without imposing herself on her child. As they walked down the sidewalk together I saw love made manifest. This kind of mothering takes time, patience and respect. This care for a young child is subtle, perhaps almost invisible, and priceless.
