Jean had just dropped her daughter off at school and was on her way to work. Even from a distance, she could hear the argument, which, as it turned out, was between a grandmother and her grandson. The boy in question seemed extremely unhappy about something and was raising his voice, while the grandmother was simply fed up with his behavior and kept walking ahead, repeating things like, "Whatever you say—just don't complain later."
Since she was heading in the same direction anyway, Jean caught up with them and turned to the boy. "Hey, hi," she said, smiling warmly at him. "How are you feeling?"
The boy turned his back on her. That was perfectly normal. Not every child likes to talk to strangers.
"Is your grandma taking care of you? She's taught you well."
Again, there was no reply.
"You know, we grown-ups sometimes get angry over trivial things, but since we have so many responsibilities, it's easier to get angry, even when we don't have a good enough reason."
"I have a reason." The boy turned to her.
"Will you share it with me?"
"I want to go to karate lessons on my own, like the other boys, but Grandma says it's too dangerous and she would worry too much."
"I understand. Can I tell you what I think? I think you're very brave, but I also understand your grandma. There are bad people out there who don't have others' best interests at heart. But you know what? There might be a solution to this problem."
"What solution?" the boy asked suspiciously.
"You want to prove to your grandma that you're a big boy now, so she trusts you more. Start with small things—going to the nearby store on your own, taking the initiative on tasks your grandma has been doing for you until now. You could also talk to her more. Show her that you're a all grown up, and you'll be surprised by the results. All mothers and grandmothers are worrywarts by nature, simply because we love our children too much and couldn't bear for anything to happen to them." Jean smiled at him again.
"I know that." The boy replied a little stiffly, but it was clear he was mulling over her words. "I have to go now."
"Of course. Take care." Jean waved to him and continued on her way. After passing them, the grandmother snapped out of her petrified-like state.
"Grandma, you know what?"
"Don't tell me it's about karate again…" she muttered wearily.
"Nooo. Today I'm going to take out the trash!" the boy exclaimed proudly.
His grandmother looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" He grinned widely.
Jean overheard the whole conversation. She was pleased with what she'd accomplished. She had a gift—she could pause time for adults pause so she could talk to their children. Whenever she had the chance, she tried to help in the best way possible. More than anything, she wanted to foster mutual understanding between adults and children. This was of immense importance to her. The fragile bonds between different generations required a great deal of care and love, but sometimes one of the two sides forgot this, or the focus shifted elsewhere. That's when Jean would nudge them—a gentle push in the right direction to restore balance and warm feelings. Family was one of the most important things, and she knew it perfectly well. She rediscovered this with every passing day she looked after and communicated with her daughter. The time they spent together was incredibly precious to her.
A few days passed, and Jean witnessed another similar incident, this time at one of the big chain stores. She'd seen this happen more times than she'd care to admit. A small child who couldn't accept that their parent won't buy them what they wanted. Jean didn't like to point fingers at anyone in such situations. There was always more than one side to the story, but she was convinced of one thing—this way, neither side came out ahead.
She took advantage of the mile-long line and tried to talk to the child. "Hi. I'm Jean. What's your name?" The girl stared at her for a long time before going back to screaming. "Mom can't hear you right now," Jean said loudly enough that the girl looked at her again, and then at her mother.
"What did you do to Mom?!" she shouted, pounding at the stranger with her little fists.
Jean just smiled. She liked her reaction. "Mom's just sleeping. She's taking a little rest."
"No one sleeps with their eyes open!" the child protested.
"Sometimes we're so tired that we can fall asleep even while standing up."
"Mom never falls asleep like that!"
"Your mom must be very strong not to have shown you how tired she was. You're very strong, too, since you can defend her like that."
"Of course I'm strong. My mom cooks the most delicious food!" the girl said proudly.
"That's wonderful. Do you know that in order for your mom to cook delicious meals, she has to go grocery shopping every day, and some items cost a lot of money?"
"Mom hasn't told me that."
"Because she wanted to protect you so you could enjoy a happy childhood. But I think you're old enough and strong enough to understand what I'm telling you. Right?"
"I think I understand," the child said, looking at her a little confused.
"I'm sure that whatever you want Mom to buy you right now, she'll buy it for you when she can afford to. Tell me, can you wait a little while? Until then, she'll keep cooking delicious meals for you with whatever money she has left."
The girl sank into a deep thought. She stared at the toy she'd been crying over just a moment ago."If I'm patient, will Mom buy it for me?"
"That's right, but it's not nice to cry so loudly, don't you think? It's better to ask Mom, and she'll explain it to you herself. What do you say?"
"Okay." The little girl nodded. "I'll be big and strong."
"Thank you. Your mom will be grateful to you, too. Moms love their children more than anything."
"I love my Mom, too!" The child smiled broadly.
"Don't forget to tell her that." Jean smiled as well and waved at her, going back to her shopping.
As soon as she walked away, time seemed to start moving again for the adults in line. The mother could no longer hear screams, so she looked at her child in surprise.
"I want to eat delicious food!" the child said loudly and hugged her mother.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she returned the hug. The sight warmed Jean's heart. Helping others in this way brought her immense satisfaction. She was determined that, no matter the nature of the gift she possesssed or how she got it, she would be eternally grateful and share it with those who needed it.