So, here's how it all played out.  Soccer games had just ended, it was late, I was without husband.  First, there was me with a diaper bag on one shoulder and a lawn chair on the other.  Then there was screaming Lily, facing outward in my left arm, her arms and legs flailing in anger, and slipping down my body at a disturbing pace.  Then there was the stroller being dragged along in my right hand, spilling over with a picnic blanket, leftover dinner containers, trash, and sweaty socks.  Then there was Ty, covered in strawberries and 3 more in each hand, thus explaing his complete uselessness in helping me.  Then there was Claire about 20 steps behind us whining of being cold and tired,  Tired, yes.  Cold?  Well, I guess it had dropped to like 80 degrees by that time and being Vegas born...who knows, maybe she really was cold.  Did I mention I was talking on the phone too?  I was.  As we trudged onward, a nice man asked if I needed help.  Hmm.  Help?  Aren't I supposed to do this all myself?  I AM the mother and I HAVE control.  "No thanks. We're parked pretty close."  About 1.3 seconds passed by before I realized what I had just said. What!?  Did I really just turn down the help of a willing adult?  That was plain stupid.  Here I am about to drop one kid, lose another one to the crowd, and dump over a stroller full of junk, and I actually tell him I don't need his help!  I'm sure the nice man was thinking, "Dumb lady. Why doesn't she let me help her?"

I don't know why I refused his help.  Maybe because I'm so used to having a baby on the hip, holding a little hand in the other, and being loaded down with twice my weight in kid supplies, it's normal for me.   All of that is such a part of me, that I wouldn't be any more likely to ask for help managing it than I would ask someone to help me brush my teeth.  I do it because it's my job.

Here's what I realized.  I don't have to do it alone all the time.  That man was completely willing and I sort of blew him off.  I would've loved help and he obviously would've felt good about providing a chivalrous deed for a damsel  mom in distress.  Instead, neither of us got anything.

Bummer.

So, mom lesson learned today:  let others help me once in a while.

Everyone will be better off that way.