The bottom of my purse

So, a couple of years ago when my middle child was in kindergarten and I had just gone back to work full time and life was really crazy (it's never not crazy, I should rate crazy on a 10 point scale) I forgot my son's show and share item. I was having extreme mommy guilt for having chosen to work in a career I love helping other people's children while sending mine off to school and/or child care. I was feeling really vulnerable in my kids' suburban school with all the moms who have everything together,  are dressed for tennis or in designer duds and heels for a corporate job or don't work outside the home and live more comfortably than I, and who I can feel judging my fat Target clothed body while they walk past with their kids show and share in hand speaking lovingly to their child in the hallway.
My son freaks out. And so do I by responding, "why don't you do what I say"; "I told you to do this"; "you know this is every Wednesday"....I'll spare you the rest as it's not pretty.  I don't even know the theme of this weeks show and share. Fortunately, the kindergarten teacher was there and I asked her. The answer, "The five senses." Well that should be easy...if we had taken care of it the night before!
We stand there, Boy in tears, me feeling that I'm the worst mom on earth. I think that a lot (there have been a couple times that it was really true, those stories later). I start digging through my purse. I have all kinds of receipts that probably should be filed somewhere, trash (my kids think my purse is a trashcan), lots of change because I never put it where it belongs. I'm losing hope at this point. Boy is still crying. I suck. I offer lip gloss, but am rejected because it's too girly. I offer lotion, it's scented too girly. A tissue...too boring. I am ready to quit when I hear it. A shaking sound at the bottom of my bag. That could work! Hearing is a sense! I take it out: Tic Tacs! He loves it. We shake it and hear the sound! We open it and smell the mint. We pop one in our mouth and taste the intense mint. We rub one between our fingers to feel how smooth Tic Tacs are...obviously, the whole time we're seeing the Tic Tacs. And he smiles and hugs me. And I'm no longer feeling like worst mom...for the moment.