It is a scene that has been played out in so many of our childhoods. Your chubby little pre-school legs are pumping up and down as you run on the sidewalk, chasing a beautiful butterfly or a runaway bubble when suddenly, your feet leave the ground and you are airborne for only a moment until -- smack -- your knees make contact with cement and you slide to a stop. Looking down, you spot some curled-up skin bubbling up beneath the dirt and little red beads of blood begin to dot the surface. Horrified, you do the only thing that can be done as you gasp for breath and yell, “Mom!”
She surveys the situation, assures you that it is OK, cleans it carefully and reaches for the bandage. Before the bandage is applied, however, she bends down, gives it a light smooch and proclaims, “There! A kiss to make it better!” In moments, the pain has been forgotten and there are more things to chase.
What is this magical power that moms possess to heal?
First of all, they just know stuff. They’re the first ones, aside from WebMD, we share our symptoms with. With just one glance at a raw throat, she can give an instant diagnosis: “You’re fine. You just need to drink more water!” or “Go back to bed, and I’m calling for a strep test!” They’re the ones who convince us that while we feel rotten with a fever of 101.6, we will most definitely not die from it. They’re the only ones we trust with health questions that are way too embarrassing to run by anybody else. They’re the ones on the front lines, holding our hair back when we vomit and then grabbing the carpet cleaner afterward. When it comes to making medical decisions, their intuition guides them. After all, they know us better than anyone else.
Potentially more important than that is their healing powers for emotional health. While nobody can immediately heal a broken heart, they know when to listen, when to soothe, when to be mad at you, and when to simply be quiet and just lie beside you. They give hope that bad days do end and that storm clouds really can be followed by rainbows. Their medicine bag contains a plethora of aids including back rubs, reassuring nods and glances, a simple holding of the hand, and quiet words of wisdom gained from years of living.
Best of all, these mom-doctors don’t retire! We are their patients for life. I can recall my own mom, sick in bed, hanging up the phone and saying, “That was Grandma. She thinks I should stay home from work.” Mothers don’t stop worrying about their kids' health once they reach a certain age. As we age, the healing kisses are replaced by questions: “Are you getting enough sleep?” “Are you drinking plenty of water?” “Don’t you think you should stay home tonight?”
Moms really do make us feel better. If we could bottle up and sell their healing powers, the label would say “Active Ingredient: Unconditional Love.” For all of the moms out there who use kisses, kind words and the healing power of hope to make us feel better, thank you. Thank you because your office is always open and that the “doctor” is always on call.
