Blogs » Adventures in Mommyville

The Placebo Effect

By DANA PETERSEN MURPHY Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - 7:37 p.m.

“Owwwwww! Right here! It hurts!” my daughter wails, pointing frantically to her ankle. I bend down to plant a kiss (“Mwah!”) right on the painful spot. If not for her pointing, I wouldn’t know where to kiss. There is no visible wound, scratch, or cut. No matter. Kisses are powerful. They can vaporize pain in milliseconds.

If a kiss doesn’t quite do the trick, try a band-aid. In dire situations, a kiss and a band-aid should cure all.

OK, I’m being a bit facetious, but not much. The power of kisses and band-aids to silence my little girl’s wails of pain amazes me.

As a mother, I embrace joyfully the phenomenon known as the Placebo Effect. It makes me feel, if only for a fleeting moment, like a superhero.

Dana Petersen Murphy is a stay-at-home-mother who lives Janesville. Dana is a community blogger and is not a part of Janesville Gazette staff. Her opinion is not necessarily that of the Janesville Gazette staff or management.

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(8)

mannioninwi
Jan 9, 2010 at 9:49 p.m.
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I loved this. It reminded me of when my son had a boo boo on his tiny finger that required a bandaid. That bandaid stayed in place for a month, okay I changed it periodically, and even switched hands. So precious. . .

love2bmama
Jan 7, 2010 at 5:21 p.m.
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This is so true at our house as well. Recently there was a minor "injury." Every time the bandaid fell off you would think the whole traumatic experience happened all over! My girls are also the first to point out if I kiss the wrong spot on a bumped noggin or arm.

lkv
Jan 6, 2010 at 6:12 p.m.
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I love how mommy kisses are 10X better than what daddy can give. It never fails to make me smile when my son is hurt that a kiss makes the tears disappear so much faster.

PKMom
Jan 6, 2010 at 2:53 p.m.
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Mmmm, well-said. All too soon our kisses won't mean nearly as much...

rstricker
Jan 6, 2010 at 11:43 a.m.
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P.S. My kids outgrew the cartoon bandages long before I did. *sigh*

rstricker
Jan 6, 2010 at 11:41 a.m.
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This is a lovely post, Dana.
Anyone too cranky to appreciate it needs a nap.

beeferer
Jan 6, 2010 at 9:17 a.m.
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Point being?

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