Things I Never Said to the Mom at the Park

I see a mom pushing her toddler on the swing beside me at the park, we make small talk. I really don’t care how many months old her daughter is though or if she’s going to daycare or transitioned to one nap yet. I want to know if she daydreams about her old life when her little girl is demanding that she swing her higher, higher, higher. I want to know if she misses freedom, slow mornings and spontaneous afternoons drinking lattes or lounging on the beach. Do the mundane tasks of motherhood bore her endlessly? Does she love her child so much it hurts but hates playing blocks and Barbies and magnet tiles with her?  Does this all sometimes feel like a performance but she’s forgotten who it’s for anymore? What would she give to be alone, just for one moment?