Mom notices stranger staring at her babies in Costco store — what she said next left the mom teary-eyed

Most moms know the feeling of becoming the center of attention if they’re holding their babies or toddlers in public spaces. A very natural reaction is for people to stare in awe or to start up a conversation with parents. However, things were different with a mom named Savannah Vaughan (@savvymomlife) when she visited a Costco store one day. She was taken by surprise when she spotted a woman staring at her baby while she was shopping. When the mom and the shopper started a conversation, it ended up in a tear-jerking experience. Vaughan didn't think that the stranger's remark would bring her to tears. 

The mom revealed that after staring at her, the woman approached her and eventually began talking. The initial conversation was very common. The woman spoke about how adorable her babies were and asked simple questions regarding their age and habits. However, further on, the woman mentioned that she was also a mother. She acknowledged the fact that parenting is challenging, especially when kids are in their toddler years. When the mom thought the chat was approaching its end, she noticed the woman was still looking sadly at Vaughan’s babies. 

“She just kept staring at my babies and she looked so sad,” the mom remarked. She added that when something like this happens, she normally escapes from the conversation. However, seeing the woman’s emotions, she wondered about the reason behind it. “Usually, when someone chats with us for too long, I give my husband the face, like, ‘Alright, we’re shopping, let’s go.’ But this time, I just couldn’t,” she said. The woman then remarked, “I’d give anything to go back to that very day.” Vaughan was caught off guard and as a mother, immediately understood what the woman meant. 

Even though she was a stranger, the mom could very well understand her emotions. They both began thinking about how time flies and how their little babies grow up fast. “I couldn’t say anything because I got so sad,” the mom said. She recalled how the stranger turned one more time towards the baby before walking away and started crying. “I was walking away too and I cried,” she revealed. Tearing up while recounting the incident, she looked at her toddler who was peacefully asleep in her arms, and said, “They’re so little. I don’t want to think about them getting bigger." “Stare at your baby long enough, it will happen to you too,” the mom wrote in the caption. 

Several mums related to this bittersweet moment. @catherinex023 wrote, "My son is 15 and I miss his littleness so much. I ache to hug him again when he was a little baby.” @shanponob added, “I would do anything to have all four of my kids a little again. The mess, the chaos, the fighting, I want it all back. They’re 31, 26, 23, 19.” @samcanders66 remarked, “You are not going to believe how fast time goes. Long days, short years. I would give anything to go back for a little while and relish that time again.”  @southern.transplant added, “Trust me, time is not long enough.”

You can follow Savannah Vaughan(@savvymomlife)on TikTok for more content on parenting and motherhood.