Parenting is a rewarding experience full of highs and lows, great days and not so good days. For new moms, it can also be an isolating and emotional experience. That early period is when you learn who in your community you can rely on, while others surprise you with their compassion and kindness.
Unexpected kindness is definitely what one new mom experienced one day when she was forced to bring her baby to class. There, the professor surprised all students in attendance with a sweet gesture.
An Unexpected Classmate
Katy Humphrey is more than a marine vet and a college student. She is also a wife and mother to a four-month-old girl named Millie. After spending 14 years as a gunnery sergeant in the Marines, the 33-year-old wanted to go to school for physical therapy and to eventually return to the Army or Navy to help her comrades.
“A couple of my friends in Afghanistan got injured, and when I got back, I really felt a calling to go back to help them and other wounded warriors,” she told ABC News.
Typically, Humphrey would have a babysitter come watch Millie when she had a class. But one day her babysitter canceled on her right before class started, and Humphrey had no choice but to bring Millie with her.
Naturally, things didn’t go so well when Humphrey got there.
Not only was Humphrey a few minutes late to her class, but once she arrived and tried to get settled, Millie began fussing and fidgeting. She didn’t want to sit in her carrier, which made it hard for Humphrey to pay attention.
A Surprising Gesture
In some cases, a professor might ask a student under those circumstances to leave. Dr. Darryn Willoughby was not that professor.
“Dr. Willoughby saw me trying to soothe her, so he came by and picked her up for me,” Humphrey explained to the publication. When he did, the baby calmed down.
“He told the class how one of the greatest gifts in life is being able to hold a baby,” Humphrey continued. “He talked about how he missed his two girls and being able to hold them when they were little. One is now in college and the other is in high school.”
Willoughby continued holding Millie for the rest of the class, and she was perfectly content. The teacher got his baby fix and for a precious period of time, Humphrey was able to focus on the lesson.
“Balancing being a student and parent can be tough,” she added, saying she’s grateful for the professor and for her “classmates who have so much empathy and compassion.”
It Takes a Village
Naturally, the internet reacted kindly to Willoughby and his actions during a mother’s time of need. The story reinforced the idea that it takes a village to raise a child, and it also inspired others to be kind to new moms and to help one when they see her struggling.
Sometimes all it takes is holding open the door for a mom with a stroller, or letting a mom with a fussy kid go in front of you in line at the store. Or perhaps you could hold a baby for a few minutes so that a mom can eat with both hands. Maybe you know a new mom who could use a nap or some time to herself to run errands, and you could offer to babysit for a few hours one day.
Not only are you helping the mom out, but you may be surprised how much you benefit from hanging out with a baby, too. Raising kids is hard and full of challenges as well as rewards. But with a village, the experience is just that much more rewarding for everyone.
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