My seven year old is pretty convinced I possess mom magic. And while I may not rival Dr. Strange or Elsa, I challenge anyone else to explain how a scrape that hurt so bad thirty seconds ago was miraculously made better after a simple massage and a kiss on the knee (no wasted bandaids here!). Or how I have “magic” vitamins, which are really just fruit snacks, that can pretty instantly cure most ailments. The answer, mom magic. It’s a force so strong that there are times I’m not convinced I don’t have some unnatural powers! That is, until I realize mom magic is simply a natural consequence of unconditional love.
There is no blind trust greater in this world than the trust a child places in those who care for him or her. There is no greater tribute as a parent than a child whose faith in you is so strong, that it can take away literal pain. And to think about it in those terms, it almost takes my breath away. As parents we are sometimes so afraid of what we may be screwing up, that we often forget all things we are doing right. Maybe we yell too much. Maybe we aren’t as patient as we ought to be. Maybe we spend too much time on our phones. There are probably endless ways we fail everyday, especially at this ridiculous time in history. But in those failures lies the heart of every good parent just trying to do their best. That’s not to say we shouldn’t strive to be better, but take cues on your success from those who know the fruits of your labor. Look into your children’s eyes as they ask you for help, or to cuddle, or how to do something and see in them what they see in you. Not the sum total of all your failure, but the outright certainty of all your success!
Mom magic is real as far as I can tell. It’s as real as any love that’s ever healed, comforted, laughed, cried, and yes, yelled! It’s as real as any child who believes in the outright goodness of a life they have yet to truly appreciate, but who still somehow understands the true value of unconditional love. And it’s as real as any parent who wakes up everyday to a world that is waiting for them to fail and who decides to tune out that noise and look inward at the life that’s telling them that they are absolutely crushing it! Because if there is one thing I know, mom magic never lies!
Elizabeth Banak Books 