Magic kisses

When Genevieve was but a wee mouse, when she would bump herself and cry, Mom told me to kiss the boo-boo, then say, "All better!" I'm sure this was to make both Genevieve and me feel better, but it didn't seem to work.

Then, like with so many things in parenting (and life), all of a sudden, it DID. She bumped her head, I kissed, and BAM! Tears stopped. All better!

"Behold!" I announced loudly, "I have arrived as a Real Mom_TM. My kisses have magical healing powers!"

A kissy montage

I basked in the glory of my newfound power. All of the groundwork I had laid had come to fruition. I was reaping what I had sown! I am MAMA, hear me give noisy, magic kisses!

And then, in a moment of incredible productivity and grace, I banged my forehead on a lamp. Sharply. I hissed (in lieu of saying some Very Bad Words), and put my hand on my forehead.

Genevieve looked at me with Great Big Eyes. I knelt down, pointed at the offending spot, and said, "Kiss it and make it better?" 
 
Without a moment of hesitation, Genevieve kissed *my* boo-boo. My heart swelled at her empathy, as I announced, "All better!"

What you do will come back to you as a parent. It might take a while, but the payoff is totally worth it.