There are some

people who faint at the sight of blood - but not my mom. Raising four

boys and one girl, she saw a lot of it and always seemed to know just

what to do. Growing up I can remember constantly scraping knees and elbows,

getting stung by killer bees, cutting fingers, getting pieces of glass

stuck in my foot, or getting run over by giant tractor tires. Mom was

always there.

One of us boys

were always getting hurt (usually right after Big Brother James said,

"Try it; it'll be safe; you won't get hurt"). Each time we'd

run to find Mom because she knew what to do to make it feel better. Even

in the midst of The Great Dirt Clod Battle of 1972, my Mom was there to

take care of the wounded. Mom was always there.

We would run

into the house, crying and dripping with blood, but my mom would not flinch

- she knew what to do. Mom would take care of the worst injured first

(this was probably the first time triage was used for a dirt clod battle),

clean up the blood, bandage the wound, kiss the boo-boo, give us a hug

and always say, "Now doesn't that feel better?" And ya know,

for some reason, it always did. The power of Mom Hugs is truly an amazing

thing. Mom Hugs make the pain go away.

The development

of Mom Hugs is a chemical change, one that takes place upon the birth

of their first child. All new moms develop the power of Mom Hugs without

exception. Just about the same time they develop the ability to see what

you are doing when their backs are turned, to know when you're in trouble

and to know what you did to get there.

I've been told

that Mom Hugs are a natural thing, just the maternal instinct coming out.

Many things in the universe we will never understand, and the amazing

healing power of Mom Hugs might just be one of them. Mom Hugs make the

pain go away.

The power of

Mom Hugs never goes away - it never fades even with time. Ever got a hug

from your grandmother that didn't make you feel better? Ask any child,

and they'll tell you that Grandma Hugs feel just as good as Mom Hugs!

You're never

too young for Mom Hugs. As a boy, I could not go to sleep without my Mom

Hugs. (Mom Hugs make the monsters under your bed go away; just ask any

four-year-old.) On stormy nights with the wind howling and the thunder

booming, I had to have two. As far back as I can remember, Mom Hugs are

what put me to bed at night. Mom Hugs are what made everything all right.

You're never

too old for Mom Hugs. When we lost the state football championship, it

was Mom Hugs that made me feel better. After Jenny broke my heart in the

tenth grade, it was a Mom Hug that helped put it