Have two kinder, more comforting words ever been spoken?
I love this sentiment (ever since I heard it spoken about by model and writer Carolyn Donovan (www.carolyndonovan.com) at a Designing Women Conference).
One that’s especially close to every ‘freaking out’ mum’s heart.
From ‘I don’t know how to make my baby stop crying…’ to ‘I think I’ve damaged my teenager with my angry words…’ there’s no more uplifting response than ‘Me Too.’
Why is that? Probably because the old adage ‘I am not an island’ rings especially true in parenthood. Being completely responsible for someone else’s wellbeing is a massive undertaking.
In my life BC (before children), if I skipped a meal, went to bed late or missed an appointment, the world kept turning. But now, it seems to come to a screeching halt with every little mistake.
The fact that I’m not the only one stuffing up on a regular basis helps me to put my heart back in my chest and remember to trust God to fill in my gaps.
The problem, I believe, is that there’s just not enough ‘Me Too’ing going on.
Through the shame of my infertility, I kept quiet. I found my ‘Me toos’ in the bible… Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth. All four were ashamed of their infertility. Reading their stories, I knew that God understood how I felt and so I kept praying, hoping and believing for my miracle baby.
For 3 years I waited not-so-patiently and when I finally did start opening up about my struggle, I was so blessed by all the ‘Me Toos’ around me. So many of friends had been secretly struggling with their own infertility and talking about it together removed the shame.
Now, when someone makes a confession, my commitment is to never leave them hanging, never just look on sympathetically, then look away. No, I want to be the first to unashamedly declare: ‘Me Too!’