When it comes to the subject of parenting, I personally bring a lot of humility into every conversation. The last thing I am when it comes to that subject is an expert. Please know that before reading any further.
However, I have in my almost 27 years on this planet come to realize a pretty amazing fact about what happens to people when they become a parent. Something transforms inside of a person when they become a parent - kind of like developing super powers. Just like when Peter Parker transformed into having incredible powers after being bit by a radioactive spider, Moms and Dads develop super powers when they have a child. I have observed one specific super power for both Moms and Dads.
Let’s start with Mom:
Moms spit transforms into some bleach-like, super-cleaning solution. This transformation that cannot be explained scientifically. However, it is true because their saliva becomes stronger than Clorox bleach. Most of us have been somewhere as a kid where you spill something on your shirt or have two-day-old crusted spaghetti sauce on our face when Mom comes to the rescue armed only with a tissue and her saliva. The embarrassing always in public spit-rag seems to work every time. It seems to get up anything. What an unbelievable super power!
As for Dads, Dads develop this unbelievable ability to know everything and the ability to fix anything. Amazingly, it seems Dads receive some type of knowledge that downloads directly into their brains. My Dad is a great example of this super power. My Dad seems to know everything and everything. My Dad also seems to know and can actually fix anything. Washing machine is broken - I call Dad. My car is acting funny - I call Dad. One of my dogs is acting like they do not feel right - I call Dad. You name it and I have probably called my Dad asking advice. He has cleverly nicknamed himself “SUPER-DAD“. It fits him to the “t” - even though there is no “t” in the name “SUPER-DAD”. I personally am excited about one day receiving these super powers so that I can become more manly and know how to fix stuff.
There you go. Two specific super powers that I have observed Moms and Dads getting. Any super powers I have missed?
Michael has the amazing DaD power of knowing what’s going on with the kids. A glint of an eye, a twitch of the mouth, he can pin-point what they are thinking, or what they are about to ask. It is super cool to watch him at work with them!
Brian, I, too, have been a victim of the “MOM SPIT”. My mom (your Grandmommy) used it on all four of us. If we could only patent it, we’d be rich. Another “Super Power” Grandmommy had was the “MOM LOOK”. You know that look–the one Moms give their kids when they want them to be GOOD (like in church or at a function where they’re supposed to be ANGELS, so they won’t enbarrass their parents). I’m not sure Moms today can do that “LOOK” as well as Moms of the past.
Another super power is Moms have a way of making things feel better and turn out ok when things seem to be at lost. My mom,Blanca is a strong person..what I mean by strong is it seems she can do anything and make things happen. Debbie (my other mom) is a soft hearted, she has the hug that can make you melt and forget the world.
Don’t forget the eyes in the back of the head. My sister, whom I mothered during most of her childhood, genuinely believed I had eyes in the back of my head. Some nights she’d cautiously part through my hair in the back, searching desperately for that extra set of eyes that so often caught her in mischief or helped her avoid trouble.
as for the dads thing…
Yes - they do know how to fix anything and are incredibly smart. However, once the child turns 10, they believe that dad knows absolutely nothing. This lasts until the child turns 20-25.
I’ve always wondered how parents actually use the eyes in the back of their head because the back of my head is covered in hair. Do they also develop a Jedi-like quality where they can move their hair out of the way by only using their minds?
JPD - good observation…that’s funny.
My mom’s power was how she gave me the desire to read even before I was born. She read the back of cereal boxes to me while I was still en utero. That and all she had to do was yell my FULL name once and I’d come running.