gracious moms and dads

As I approached the check out counter this afternoon I noticed a 3 or 4 year old boy, one knee on the floor, deeply engrossed in the items on the bottom shelf of (what I like to call) the "nuisance rack". I passed him and put my items on the counter while the boy's mother, who had a baby in the cart, was finishing her transaction. When she was done she called,
"Carter come on it's time to go." Carter dallied.
"Carter," I said pleasantly, "your mother said it's time to go now."
I glanced at mom quickly and said, "Sometimes it just takes another voice."
"Definitely," she said as Carter got up and joined her.
As they went on their way I heard Carter ask mom, "Who was that lady?"
"A friend", she said gratefully.