Magic Mummy

When you become a Mummy you have Mummy Magic bestowed upon you. Being pregnant in itself is pretty magical as you grow a little human. Then during the birth and recovery you begin to outwardly demonstrate your super powers, the first being strength. This is coupled with your new ability to love more than you ever imagined possible as you care for your new baby.

As your baby grows you discover more of your super powers. You realise you can survive on little to no sleep, you might not function at high cognitive speed as you fumble through those early hazy days, but you stay awake…mostly. When your baby begins to explore and starts to crawl and climb you discover your super power of detecting any and all possible hazards and act accordingly to remedy these. You even like the new look of your home, with its rubber edging, its extra mini gates which prove near impossible to open (ah yes another super power, the ability to unlock child proof gates and locks…unless its at someone else’s house) as well as the various child safety devices adorning draws and cupboards.

When your child begins to walk you realise another superpower, the ability to detect and prevent falls as you move at lightning speed grabbing your toddlers hand and stopping them from falling. Failing this super power as it sometimes gets away from you, and is less intense the more children you have, you pull out more Mummy Magic; the kiss that heals all. I find this one very handy, particularly with our accident prone Miss 2, but even Miss 3 is a fan. Example: Child falls over, Mummy kisses ouchy, all better! (Disclaimer: This is not to be used in place of medical treatment where medical attention is necessary, although used alongside medical intervention when necessary it still has a magical effect).

As your child begins to talk you find you have even more Mummy Magic, although you really had this super power from the first loving eye contact and baby cooing. The ability to speak in multiple baby and child metalanguages is powerful. You understand what your toddler is saying when others don’t, your family begins to talk in code on many topics (eg. our first child coined the word “Co-ie-ite” in reference to a ‘crocodile’ so it is forever the term we use when referring to crocodiles, just as “Ice-kiss” is used for’ ice cream’ and “dat bun” is used to say ‘that one’). Not only do you have a new metalanguage you intersperse whilst speaking your mother tongue, you also are able to have entire dialogues in baby babble and in toddler gibberish.

More Mummy Magic includes but is not limited to becoming aware of any possible germs laying on any possible surface and being able to clean rapidly as you go about your day chasing little ones. As you have more kids and as they grow you use this power less but harness another power as you find new uses for everyday items. For example you now see the potential to use baby wipes for basically anything and realise it could replace all cleaning products. You can fashion boats out of plastic containers and buses out of cereal boxes. You are able to make stories come to life for you children as you read them books with various expressive character voices you didn’t realise you could impersonate and you create identities from wooden blocks and pegs as you play make-believe games with your preschooler. You are now also a great singer, until your child is nearing 4 and whilst they will still request songs, they may also tell you “Don’t sing Mummy”.

Magic Mummy is the queen of adapting as often your plans change last minute as your little bosses decide they no longer want to wear pants but rather pyjamas to the park, or they no longer eat toast unless you cut it a certain way and will only eat fruit presented as a face on the green plate, not the pink plate, it must be the green plate! You have nailed the fine art of thinking ahead, and exude magic in your ability to foresee a tantrum and stop it occurring in most instances as you predict your child’s triggers and divert away from them. For instance you know your preschooler will only eat toast cut into triangles presented on the blue plate with milk needing to be given in the rabbit mug with two handles as one handle simply isn’t enough.

Other super powers include scaring away monsters from under the bed, drinking invisible tea made by your toddler and identifying everything as your toddler asks “What’s this?” whilst holding a speck of something out for you to see (usually some fluff found on the carpet). And you can convince your young child of nearly anything. For instance you might hold out some lose cotton and announce its a spider, but be careful as your preschooler might scream loudly as she is actually terrified of spiders and you were unaware of this until this very instance. Your upper body strength increases as you use the power of balance to hold you kids attached to you at various places such as the hip, your leg, your back and also held in your front in a carrier. That brings us to another super power; the ability to figure out all kinds of useful and essential harnesses and child restraints such as baby car seats, pram buckles, baby carriers.

You also have the privileged and important power to be your child’s first and best teacher; a teacher of love, respect, patience, empathy and kindness. All of these super powers are wonderful and very useful. But the most powerful super power is the ability you have to make your child smile and laugh as you love them and give them the most magical magic of all; quality time shared with your children. Be sure to use this super power daily as it is simply the best!