I Know What You're Thinking

My daughters used to think I could read their minds. Seriously. They had a strategy for preventing me from getting in – they’d picture a cloud of white light around their heads and try really hard not to have any thoughts at all.  They especially did this on the way to school each morning. Apparently this was the one time during the day they felt most vulnerable.

While I can’t claim to have actually read their minds, it was uncanny how the transfer of information would occur. Suddenly an idea would literally pop into my head. Giving voice to what I saw was always met with outraged cries of “Mom! Not again! Stop doing that! “ Eyes wide with terror and arms crossed protectively across their chests, my daughters would look at me accusingly. I could never explain how I’d come to know these things.

So much has been written about mother’s intuition, that mysterious tapping in to your child’s world with a perception that is way beyond normal. How many times have I felt that unexplained urge to check in? Or, seeing my child entering a room, known exactly what she is thinking? Is it possible that sharing one body during pregnancy has enabled a direct line of communication between us all?

You really have to wonder.  The whole phenomenon is not unlike the childhood “phones” my sister and I used to construct; the ones with Dixie cup handsets and a rope cable stretched taut in between.  Whether or not we actually heard anything is debatable, but what is certain is that we were able to conduct entire conversations on the device.

I like to think that mother’s intuition is like that. The child converts her unspoken thoughts into signals and they’re transmitted via the family wire to her mom’s mind.

With age, my daughters have come to deploy the cloud less often as, sadly, carpool days have come to a close. However, my mind-reading ability (call it mother’s intuition) continues to flourish, linking me to my children in ever growing ways. Sometimes it manifests in a strong urge to call, other times an image will suddenly materialize in my mind. I don’t hesitate to pick up the line. I know my daughters are calling. And these days, they’re glad to know I’ve heard what they’re thinking.

Posted by Carole Funger

#mother's intuition