Stranger’s kind act for “broken” mum crying in Centrelink
A mother of four young children coping with natal-depression has found herself again, after a devastating moment in Centrelink turned into a beautiful experience.
Stephanie Brisbane says her three usually well-behaved children travelled with her to Centrelink to be told by an employee her paid parental application had been denied because a wrong box had been ticked four months prior - meaning the process had to start again which upset Stephanie deeply.
“That’s when I just burst into tears,” the 32-year-old told Yahoo News.
She said the moment was heightened when her two-year-old Tiberius began hitting her four-month-old Dakota.
“I sat at the Centrelink desk with my three youngest kids going crazy and I just cried,” the mum later wrote about the incident.
However the moment she “broke” down was made better when “without saying a word, a beautiful lady came and sat next to my kids, gave them her phone to watch shows on and even handed me a tissue”.
The tiny gesture of kindness, Ms Brisbane says, was a simple act that meant the world to her.
“She didn’t know that Centrelink has stuffed up my paid parental leave for the second time in four months and it’s taking a toll,” the mum said.
“She didn’t know that I have literally just moved house and living out of boxes in chaos and it’s taking a toll.
“She didn’t know that I have bad post-natal depression and everyday is a battle and lately it’s been taking a toll.
“She just knew that I was a struggling mum.”
Unfortunately, the intensity of the situation threw the mother into a panic attack - meaning she wasn’t able to catch the name of the good Samaritan who made her day a little better.
After posting the experience at Centrelink to her social media page, the post was then shared on to a local Facebook page which the person who helped her happened to be in.
Thankfully, Stephanie was able to find the woman who helped her - a local named Kelly with three children of her own.
“You have me in tears,” the fellow parent told Ms Brisbane.
“Something honestly just made me get up and come over.”
Kelly added she briefly second guessed her decision about approaching the stranger in tears, but ultimately decided she would prefer to be told to “go away” rather than walk out of Centrelink feeling ashamed of herself for not helping someone who looked like they needed it.
“I saw myself in you,” Kelly said.
“I could see you getting upset and so I just wanted to at least entertain the kids so you didn’t have to worry about them. I wanted to give you a hug and tell you it’s okay.”