Sitting in the play area of the doctor's office, my children, Paul, four, and Bailey, three, built a Lego tower while we waited to be called for Paul's examination. "Good job, you guys,"I said, trying not to sound too tired. My husband was away on business, and it was difficult being alone with the kids. At times I felt like I was living in the jungle  rather than the suburbs. "Don't put the Lego in your mouth, Bailey,"I said. Paul grabbed  it from him."That's not nice, Paul,"I said. He gave back the Lego. I looked around the waiting room. A woman was eating something, a couple were talking, and an old gentleman in a blue jacket was reading a magazine. I wished I could sit quietly for a while. I wanted to be able to take a rest, or go shopping alone. At once, I was ashamed of myself. What kind of mother was I? "God,"I thought, "help me to be the very best mom I can be." The nurse came into the waiting room to get us. Just at that moment, the old gentleman in the waiting room put down his magazine and came up to me. With a smile on his face, he said, "Your children are most certainly lucky to have such a wonderful mother.""Thank you,"I replied in a low voice and watched him walk back to his seat. We followed the nurse into the examination room. While she weighed Paul, I told her how that man had made my day. Motherhood is still a jungle sometimes, but now when I feel tired I remember the encouraging words of the old gentleman. What can we learn from the passage?
The writer often went shopping alone. The writer's husband was always on business. The writer doesn't know how to be a good mother. The writer was greatly encouraged by the old gentleman's words.