By Michele Laughing-Reeves Scars turned into badges-of-honor. Frowns turned upside down. Tears turned to sweet nothings. Mistakes turned into lessons. Heartbreaks turned into determination. Stomach growls turned to full plates. Mothers are the magician that can do all of this— and so much more. On the day that a mother’s first child is born, she is also unofficially indoctrinated into the motherhood club. Bestowed upon her are a bottomless pocket of pixie dust, a righthand wand, and an invisible cape. At the right time, mothers turn into magicians. A mother can mold into any descriptive adjective, sometimes she turns into mama bear. It is no wonder that a mother is at the top of the hero list, above firefighters and astronauts. Every great person must have had an even greater mother. George Washington said of his mother, “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.” Similarly, Abraham Lincoln said of his mother, “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” More impressive is how a mother can magically put a positive twist on adjectives we normally think of as negative, like crazy and bizarre. She can be overbearing, strict, 50
May 2022
mean, and disappointed, then instantaneously be relieved, soft, and forgiving. She’s not being extreme; she’s being a mother. It is so perplexing that Marvel has yet to showcase the superhero skills of a mother. Yes, snapping your fingers to restore the world is pretty superhero-ly, but a mother’s snap can get unruly kids to sit still or to do the dishes or end a barrage of excuses or to simply get your attention. A mother’s real superhero skill is tricking you into thinking that she is multitasking. Research has proven that a human cannot perform two tasks at the same time, like texting and driving. Scientists have discovered that the human brain goes between the two tasks so quickly that it tricks the person into thinking that they are multitasking. In reality, the person is performing and focusing on each task one-at-a-time, while being completely oblivious to the other task. Us normal folks can barely handle two tasks at a time, but a mother can do umpteen more in what we perceive as “all at once.” Either it’s mind control or faster than the speed of light. With this skill alone, Mom can replace Dr. Strange and The Flash. Additionally, a mother has superhuman abilities. She knows a lie when she hears it. She can smell you being up to no-good. She can hear from miles and miles away your thoughts of “mom won’t find out.” She can feel your pain and sorrow. She can see
