As a young parent, it can be hard to juggle all the different responsibilities that job entails.
First and foremost, we are in charge of making sure our kids are fed, clothed and generally taken care of. Unfortunately, the job doesn’t stop there. There are also the mundane concerns of life to take care of as well—making sure the house is stocked with food, making sure there’s money in the bank account and making sure we can get to work on time. And that last one can be tricky.
In some cases, we may need just a little help.
In one story out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, one woman got a hand from some unexpected babysitters.
Shantaphae Blakes is a mom who works at Starbucks in Winston-Salem. One day, Blakes woke up with a problem: it was 4:30am, she had to leave for work in mere minutes and she had no babysitter available. In a panic, Blakes called her boss to explain the situation. While the two tried to figure it out, Blakes’ boss suggested that Blakes simply bring her daughter to work with her.
Once they got there, Blakes got help from a surprising source.
As it turns out, Blakes’ particular Starbucks had two state troopers who were regulars there—and who had some free time on their hands.
The officers in question were Brad Marshall and Austin White. As they heard about Blakes’ unfortunate situation, Marshall and White both said they would do their duties as babysitters while mom worked in the store.
Blakes was grateful for the help and the story soon got plenty of local attention.
First, Blakes’ manager took to Facebook to post the entire story.
She wrote:
“I wanted to send a special shoutout to our very own North Carolina State Highway Patrol. This was the sight at my Starbucks on University Parkway in Winston Salem, NC today. I had an employee call me in tears at 4:30 AM and tell me she had no one to take care of her daughter this morning as she was already on her way in to work. I told her to not worry, we would figure it out and to bring her on.
Shortly thereafter, our regular crew of troopers rolled in the door and took this sweet girl right into their care for over an hour. Trooper Brad and one of his fellow partners were outstanding in making sure we could still get our job done and even had a little fun with it. He even bought her a cup that she had been holding on to all morning. This is what the holidays are all about and it made my heart melt to see this unfold today. Thank you, Brad and NC State Troopers everywhere, you guys rock!”
Blakes herself was also later interviewed about the incident.
For her part, Blakes was moved for the entire experience. “It touched me, the fact that [Marshall] was actually with her for like, two hours,” she said. As we all know too well, our personal and professional lives can often become entangled. In this case, something heartwarming came out of it.
Special thanks to State Troopers Marshall and White for stepping up that day!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
