As a sit in my idling car outside a small grocery store, a mom walks her crying toddler up to the entrance. The daughter, held tightly by her left hand, is old enough to walk and old enough to throw a temper tantrum. She is doing both with abandon.
A second mother, also accompanying her small child then exit the grocery. It's clear that these relatively new mothers know each other. They begin a conversation miles above the still-crying girl and the young boy who exchange glances a foot or two above the pavement. Without prompt, the boy drops his mother's hand and takes two wobbly but direct steps toward the girl. He wraps his arms around her for no other reason than because she is crying.
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| Pictured: A reasonable facsimile of the event that transpired |