Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

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This quote is often attributed to Plato, although there is some controversy over that. Anyhow, it is a good quote no matter who said it. Today I was given a good understanding of this. And I was granted a glimpse of how infertility has changed me.

During Kindergarten Art class, several students were excitedly talking about how many teeth each of them had already lost or how many loose teeth they currently have. Well, there sat little A, slouched over and frowning. This little girl is one of my favorites (shhh...don't tell, teachers aren't supposed to have favorites!). She is a petite little thing with dark brown hair cut in a cute bob. She has huge brown eyes and can't say her R's. She is smart as a whip and is always the first to help when a classmate spills something or gets stuck on their project. I noticed tears starting to well up in her eyes and asked what was wrong. "I haven't lost one tooth yet. Not one! None are even loose yet!" I put my arm around her and said, "You'll lose a tooth. Probably soon, too! And won't it be SO exciting when you do?" She replied, "I know, but one of my friends, she already lost EIGHT TEETH!" Then I felt really sad for her, because I know EXACTLY how she feels! Wanting to experience something so badly and seeing so many around you doing just that! At the same time, I had to try hard not to smile too big because I know she'll lose those baby teeth. In contrast, as couples dealing with infertility, we never know when we'll get to see that positive pregnancy test or get to take a baby home in our arms. She stood up and gave me a tight hug and said, "I hope I lose one soon!" I looked at her and thought, "Oh, kiddo, I get you, 100%" but just replied, "I think you will; don't worry!"