Can Superman protect us?

Will the bad guys get us? My son wants to know. I’m paying bills when he erupts into panic mode. Mom? Mom! I move the mail aside and look him in the eye. No, we are safe.

But what about Mr. Fox? He’s fascinated by the furry villain, along with Mr. Grinch and the Big Bad Wolf – his go-to bad guys who at any moment could be lurking in the woods ready to pounce and make a stew of us.

I tell him not to worry. We are far from the landscape of the Peter Rabbit cartoon. But the truth is more difficult. I’ve seen this world go dark on the brightest of days. How can I guarantee safety?

Just the right size

Want to do a dance? Yes, I say and take the little one’s hands in mine. Let’s dance. I scoop up the girl too – she’s a sitter now – and twirl her in my arms. "Hakuna Matata" is playing on the computer and we three are twirling in the living room. It is close to bed time, but sleeping can wait. We must dance first.

Where’s the part where he eats the worms, mom? The song is from a Disney movie that plays on the screen while we rock and sway, bop and dip, to the beat. Their smiles are worth a thousand winning lottery tickets. I snap a photo with the memory card in my head and save it in my brain for only the rainiest of days.

Such young versions of themselves, they are superhuman. A 10-month-old who seems to connect as if her soul were dialing the number to mine. An almost 4 year old who is independent, grounded and reflective like a Buddhist monk.

In for surprises

As a mom very few things shock me. My son peed in the small trash can in his room once. I was surprised and disappointed, but not shocked. Many things my children do make me raise my eyebrows. Here are a few that have surprised me the most:

How little my daughter resembles me

Maybe I was expecting a carbon copy of myself, like my husband got when our son was born, but my daughter doesn't resemble me at all. She is much more beautiful to the point I am stunned we are related. When she made her debut into the world, I wondered where those bright blue eyes came from and now that she is 10 months old, I still don’t see any resemblance.