What Moms Can Do

 There’s a sweet children’s book called “What Moms Can’t Do”. It’s told from the perspective of a young dinosaur as he notices all the things that his mama dinosaur can’t do without him … like crossing a busy road (he must hold her hand to keep her safe), being tucked in at night (he must let her read her a book or two before she can leave him for the night), and experiencing first adventures like kindergarten (he must be with her to calm her fears when she meets his teacher for the first time). I remember reading it to a classroom full of little people and hearing their responses in acknowledgment of what moms can’t do all the while my mama heart knew differently.


In fact, moms can do a lot of things. Moms can calm a fussy baby with a soothing, quiet voice. They can make hurts all better with a kiss and a band-aid. Moms can read the same book over and over and over despite the fact there are other books that have yet to be read. Moms know that triangle sandwiches taste better than squares and they know the exact number of cheerios in a bowl so that everyone gets the same amount. Moms can brighten a boring school lunch with a personalized napkin note. Moms can quiet a room with just a look and can speak volumes without saying a word. Moms can do a lot of things but just like the book title suggests, there are some things that moms can’t do. While moms can mend broken toys, they cannot mend broken hearts. Moms can say nice words and shower a child with compliments, but they cannot control the words or actions of others that in turn break a child’s spirit. Moms can hold a child’s hand for a little while but they cannot hold it forever. At some point they have to let go.


But they never really let go.


Moms continue to calm situations with quiet, soothing voices. They make hurts better by giving Dr. Mom advice when needed. Moms can still read the same books over and over and over…this time to a new generation. They still know how to make sandwiches taste better and know exactly how to make each piece of cake, pie, or pizza evenly-sized, even if it means she goes without. Moms can brighten a boring lunch by treating a child to their favorite restaurant and they can still quiet a room with just a look. And moms know that unspoken words are often the best thing that can be said. While they still cannot mend broken hearts or erase hurtful words, moms can provide a safe place to land when things are falling apart.

And that’s “What Moms CAN Do”.