My son has an obsession with Band-Aids.

If he has any kind of pain, the solution is always to put a Band-Aid on it—and it works every time.

It’s gotten to the point where I keep a box of Band-Aids on the nightstand next to our bed because he will often request them in the middle of the night.

“Mommy…I need a Band-Aid” he will softly plead. Because in his world, Band-Aids are magic.

One day, I will miss my son being 3. I will miss his sweet little-boy voice and the way that he charges at me to give me a hug that would knock me over if I hadn’t learned to brace myself each and every time.

I will miss the way he strokes my hair, and how he asks for me when I’m away. But most of all—I will miss being able to solve his problems and take his pain away with something as simple as a Band-Aid.

One day, too soon, my little boy will come to me with a hurt that will be too deep and too raw for any Band-Aid to fix. He will learn that some wounds require more work and effort to heal. He may even stop believing in magic, but I hope he doesn’t stop believing in me.

I hope that he will still come to be with his pain, knowing that although I won’t be able to take it away—I can share in it with him.
Because that’s what motherhood is. It’s feeling every pain of your children, and it’ rejoicing in their joy and their triumphs. It’s no longer being a single entity, but being forever intertwined with the little people you helped bring into this complicated world.

It’s being able to give your toddler a Band-Aid, and your grown son a big hug. Motherhood is showing up. Motherhood is magic.