Rachel Kiser
Blogger | Mom of Two

It’s a scenario that is all too familiar among parents. You’re out running a completely ordinary errand when suddenly it goes downhill…fast. Your child (or children) decide to start losing their minds, and you’re trapped between wanting to abandon your grocery cart and leave the store and push through for the necessities, dragging your screaming kids behind you.

This is pretty much exactly what happened to a Texas new mom-of-two, Rebecca Paterson. She was taking her first solo Target trip with her 2-month-old son Aiden and 2-year-old Jacob when they both decided to revolt against her at the exact same time. Flustered and surely aware of people’s stares, as well as her own face turning red, she started putting her groceries back on the shelves to leave. Then a miracle appeared in the form of a lovely woman named Tiffany Jones-Guillory.

Guillory rounded the corner, searching for the source of the crying, and immediately offered to walk with Rebecca and hold her two-year-old in her arms while Rebecca soothed her baby so that she could finish her shopping trip.

Can you even imagine being extended such a lifeline?

The woman was a complete stranger, but Paterson called her an angel (we agree).

“She saved me today, moms!!! I am so sleep deprived  and was running on empty. A little kindness and understanding goes a long way,” Rebecca wrote in a local Facebook page for moms, praising Guillory’s compassion.

But Guillory was just doing what she knew how to do. “I said go ahead and do your grocery shopping, and I’ll just hold Jacob and I’ll talk to him. I picked him up, put him in my arms, (and) I talked to him with a soothing voice.” They walked around the grocery store together, shopping and soothing, for 45 more minutes.

Rebecca Paterson

The response from her community, and on social media, has overwhelmed her.

“It really touched me,” Guillory said. “I know how it is. I’ve been there. I have two kids, it’s frustrating, and that baby is 2 months. You have hormones going…and people are looking at you crazy, and I just wanted to help. God sent me there to help her.”

You can tell from the photo that Ms. Guillory is full of just the kind of strength and compassion that we all want and need. It’s all too easy to go about your business and focus on your own to-do list, but to stop and enter into someone else’s struggle is a lovely thing. We think she deserves every amount of praise she’s received.

About Rachel Kiser

Rachel is a wife and mother living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a fan of good coffee, wearer of gray t-shirts, and is constantly starting books she will never finish. Her family is her joy, and she loves to engage with other moms and dads on matters of parenting. Her blog posts have also been featured on the Today Show Parenting Blog and Scary Mommy.

View all posts by Rachel Kiser here.