blogs

As moms we discover very quickly that we are blessed with super powers that we gain when we become moms. Whether we physically give birth or our children are born in our hearts through adoption, we are astounded to discover the lengths we can and will go to just to hold our dear children in our arms and kiss them hello for the first time. We can hear the slightest whimper, cough or fart that our tiny baby can produce through a closed door, upstairs and on the other side of of a 2,000 square foot living space while other members of our family scratch their heads wondering how the heck did we hear that.
As our little ones begin to crawl and toddle, we can visually sweep a room and discover and remove all breakable treasures in the in-laws' house before our little darling can get their chubby little hands on them. We are able to anticipate every zig and zag our toddler might attempt and are ready to intercept them before they get into too much trouble or worse. Thank goodness for the eyes in the backs of our heads or our wonderful, toddling terror just might take over and destroy the world.

As our children continue to grow we find that can stop them in their tracks with simply one withering look. It's funny but our stone-cold-behave-now-or-else look resembles greatly our own mother's look that used to stop our mischief making. Don't tell my mother, please.

These are just a few of our Super Mommy Powers but the best one has to be our ability to heal with just a soft kiss from our lips. Doctors, nurses, shamans, witch doctors and faith healers the world over would love to have this power but alas, it is reserved for mothers and mothers alone. A simple, gentle kiss to virtually any owie, real or imagined, makes all the pain, suffering and tears cease almost immediately. I swear that it is the best super power ever. There really is nothing that can compare to it...

Until our children reach that age where they come to discover the healing powers of a band-aid...a Disney Princess band-aid, a Spiderman band-aid, a Dora the Explorer band-aid, a Sponge Bob band-aid...even a plain old band-aid. There comes a time in our child's life where they fall down and come crying and limping to us in pain and all they want is...a band-aid...

"A Sponge Bob band-aid with his best friend, Patrick, on it, please, Mom."

Oh my gosh! He called me "mom" not "mommy"!

I offer a kiss to make his owie better and he tearfully declines telling me that what he really needs is a Sponge Bob band-aid, please.

No kiss, really?

Really.

I get the box of band-aids out of the first-aid box and after cleaning the "wound" I carefully apply the Sponge Bob band-aid that he picked out.

"Would you like a kiss and hug now, son?"
"No mom. This is all I need."

If Daniel was my first child I would have mourned the loss of this amazing super power of mine. But Daniel is the youngest of my five. I know that soon enough, perhaps sooner than I will be ready, my super power will be needed again to mend a broken heart or two, or three or more. I also know that it won't make the hurt truly go away but it will be called upon anyway. So as I wave Daniel off to play with his best friend again, I mentally pack away my super healing power so that it will be ready again someday when Daniel needs it. For now a Sponge Bob band-aid is all that he needs...for now.

More Adventures in Juggling can be found at http://adventuresinjuggling.wordpress.com