Spidey-Sense

Last night I got to thinking of the quote "With great power comes great responsibility" as I held my K1 and tried to get him to sleep. It was late at night - much past his bedtime - and he had one of those annoying coughs that make it impossible to rest. The kind that strangles you the minute you lay down flat on a bed... that is so persistent it causes your eyes to water and your throat to constrict and continues until you are sure you are going to vomit from the constant choking sensation.

So, I took him downstairs and just held him, stroking his head and telling him it would be ok and that I would make it better. And slowly his little body relaxed, and his eyes shut and he started to drift.

And I got to thinking that being a mother entails a whole lot of responsibility. I am responsible for making sure my children's basic needs are met, from shelter to clothing to nourishment. I am responsible to guide their spiritual growth from a young age. I am responsible to expose them to all kinds of learning opportunities, that their minds may develop and that they may be given every opportunity in this world to succeed. I am responsible to provide a loving, nurturing environment where they feel safe and accepted.

But with all that responsibility comes the sweetest of powers. I have the power to heal my babies... maybe not in the same way a doctor or modern medicine can, and certainly not in the way Heavenly Father can, but in a way unique to mothers. I can comfort and console my children in a way no other person can do for them. I can make things better... I can quell feelings of fear, heal feelings of physical discomfort, calm feelings of anxiety, and soften feelings of sadness. I have the power to be my children's anchor in a storm, and warm blanket in times of discomfort.

So, move over Spiderman. I am a mother, and that makes me the most invincible of superheros.