It’s a fine spring day, you’re out running errands, moving quickly from place to place to get your tasks done and you can feel it. The grasp of a tiny hand in yours, only able to wrap firmly around three of your adult-sized fingers. You hear the footsteps beside you that beat a rhythm of three steps for your one. You don’t even have to look down to know they are there, eyes lifting right up at you, your child by your side.

Such is the existence of a mother on the go.

There is something unique about moms. Moms who move through the world so boldly, while they know full well the eyes of a fresh generation are on them. Moms who always seem to grow an extra arm to carry one more thing, wipe one more tear, and straighten one more collar. Moms whose very existence in a photo brings peace and comfort to an entire scene. They manage to sleep at night, at least a few hours, all while knowing the world’s future is being determined by their every move.

Don’t misunderstand, dads are vital too but in a photo such as this, it’s the mom who grounds the entire scene. This little blonde girl looking up at her mother is most certainly an adult now, maybe with children of her own, maybe not. Either way, we can be fairly certain that day by day looking up at her mom in the city she learned a thing or two about who she would become. A girl spending her days with a living example of what it meant to be an adult. It’s no surprise the camera found them, catching a moment of a relationship that really is the future in the making.