Speeding mom pulled over by officer was bracing for a 'ticket' — what he wrote instead left her in disbelief

A mom named Ayla Hemeon was speeding on her way to her parents’ home, worried about how she would finish one chore and hop on to the next, per ABC News. The mom was stopped midway by Sergeant Steven Church. Just as she got discouraged and waited for her ticket, she was surprised to find something unexpected. 

According to a report from the US Department of Health and Human Services, parents are often more stressed than other adults. The statistics showed that 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in a month compared to 20% of other adults. According to numbers from CBC News, 41% of parents revealed that they’re so stressed on some days that they just can’t function. Rebecca Morin, a daycare provider and mom, noted, “There's always something to do for the kids. Having hobbies is a thing of the past. I even struggled to take a shower the other day because I was just so completely exhausted,” she remarked. 

Hemeon, too, was tight on schedule and had an endless list to cover. The mom mentioned that she was on her way to deliver a carved pumpkin to her parents. The hours earlier that day were spent on cleaning, followed by carving the pumpkin. “It had been a hectic weekend. My daughter had so much homework to finish up,” the mom explained. Hemeon had other things lined up, so she was “hurrying over” to get one of the jobs done. The mom was speeding when she was pulled over by the officer. He asked her if she had any good reason to be driving that fast. The mom honestly said, “I told him the story about how I was trying to hurry to my parents’ so we could go back home quickly.”

Church didn’t say a word to her and went back to his car. “He goes back to his car and is in there for what feels like an eternity. But then he comes back and hands me what I thought was a ticket,” the woman recalled. However, when she received the piece of paper in hand, she realized that it was not a ticket. Church told her, “This is just a warning. It’s not a ticket. You don’t have to do anything with this, but there’s a message on the bottom of the ticket for you.” The officer walked away, leaving the mom pondering and confused. She read the note to find the assurance she never knew she needed.

It read, “Thanks for all that you do. You could have spent Sunday alone, but you’re spending it helping your parents and daughter. Have a good day.” “It made me feel good because I had good intentions. Here’s someone who doesn’t know me, but does appreciate what I'm trying to do,” the mom noted. In an interview with WPDE,  the officer revealed, “You could tell [Hemeon] was having a tough week. Just because something goes wrong, doesn’t define them.” Hemeon is forever grateful for the message she received. “The thing that struck me is him telling me I’m setting a good example for my daughter and yet, he is the one that’s setting the good example,” she remarked.