My Son, If Only I Had The Powers To Avoid All Suffering …

My son, if only I could run my hand over your forehead and take your fever off in a second …  I would like to have magical powers to alleviate all your suffering in an instant, heal all your wounds, dispel your fears, cure all your colds, colic … Instead, we moms and dads have only the power of love. And we are content with that to defend you, protect you, chase away all your fears and soothe possible suffering.

We are sure that, as parents, you will have thought the same thing on more than one occasion. We would all like to have the ability to take away all the pain from our children and also, why not, any problem or minor annoyance that may arise at any time.

Although it is sometimes said in everyday life that it is good for younger children to fall every now and then to learn how to get up, not all parents agree. If we can, we will pave the way for them so that they do not stumble, so that they do not slip.  There will come a time when they will learn from their mistakes, when life will offer them those precious learning opportunities.

On the other hand,  few things are more exhausting and harder for us than seeing our children sick. Sometimes it is enough for us to see the pain they feel during teething or when they have a cold, to make us want to take care of their ailments, their pain or their fever.

However, whether we want it or not, raising a child is also this: knowing how to deal with difficult times and understanding that we do not have the power to lock them in a protective bubble that is inaccessible to pain, falls, viruses or infections. However, and this is where the real magic lies, mom and dad can “heal” in many other ways …

My son, if I had the powers I would make sure that nothing makes you suffer …

We see them so small and so fragile that we are afraid of them. As soon as they come into the world and we see their face, a need for absolute protection is triggered in us.  Their crying breaks our hearts, we are attentive to their every move, we like to hear them breathe and we always ask ourselves if they are okay, if they are cold, if they are hungry, afraid …

Mom’s powers are her kisses

This is undoubtedly a curious and special fact. According to a study carried out at the University of Pittsburg of 248 cases and over a period of almost 5 years, every time a child got a small injury, for example due to a fall, the mother’s kiss was much more effective than a dressing.

How can this be explained?  It’s very simple:  kisses, caresses or hugs have a calming effect on babies.  This affectionate closeness in turn makes us secrete oxytocin and with it endorphins, those hormones responsible for our well-being that strengthen the immune system.

It is obvious that the mother’s kiss does not heal any wound. However, it makes healing faster, yes. This is why in many hospitals they allow fathers and mothers to stay with their children when they are hospitalized. Children suffer less from stress and fear, and are therefore able to better cope with interventions and postoperative hospitalization.

Dad offers security, dad protects us from everything

Sigmund Freud said it: some things are as precious to a child as feeling protected by his dad.   It is obvious that even a mother has this ability, but when a child can count on two parents, he always takes advantage of the close, gentle and comforting refuge of the father’s arms, in which to grow up and see the world, where he knows that nothing bad can happen to him. .

Therefore, if you are a father, do not doubt it. Whenever your child has a fever, fear or knee pain from falling in the schoolyard, lift him high in your arms and hold him close to you. She will feel much better right away, because fathers, as well as mothers, recover.  They too have the powers.