Why Moms Have Eyes in the Back of their Head

Friday, May 25, 2012 by Stef Daniel from Mom, Myself, & I

My mom used to say it. Your mom probably said it. Your grandmother more than likely said it. The whole idea that mothers have ‘eyes in the back of their heads,’ is one that has been passed down since antiquity. Truth is (and I swear if you tell the kids I told you this, you’re getting your mom license taken away) we don’t. At least not the kind of eyes with pupils and retinas and X-ray vision.

That is why the other day when my 5 year old asked me if I really had eyes in the back of my head, I thought it was so cute.

“Well if you do how come I cannot see them, and if you don’t, then how come you know so much?” she quipped. (For reference, I had just stopped her from putting my make-up on in the bathroom while I was in the kitchen cooking. She had no idea how I KNEW she was about to put makeup on)

But, seriously…what a good question!

Why is that moms are so in tune with what is going on around them? Not just the things they can see, but the things they can’t see as well. At some point, you have to wonder how and why – physiologically speaking, motherhood raises our extrasensory awareness so much.

I can barely keep up with my car keys (please refrain from telling me it’s just me being disorganized) but I can hear that my child is going to puke at 3am, exactly 2 seconds before she does. And, I can tell when the kids are about to get into a fight, are into something that they aren’t supposed to be, are lying, or are working through some emotion that is troubling them despite the fact that they don’t want me to know.

Call it mother’s intuition. Call it experience. After your toddler has jumped off the couch and hit his head 16 times, you pretty much know what is going to happen next when you see him jumping on the couch. Call it ‘eyes in the back of your head.’ Truth is, it doesn’t matter what you call it – but those eyes in the back of your head are worth paying attention to.

More and more, as we become so inundated with information and advice from the world – we are slowly but surely ignoring (or being taught to ignore) our innate mother’s intuition.

It is that little voice that speaks to you, most of the time with little supporting information, that tells you something is wrong or off kilter. It is THAT inkling that a pediatrician is not listening to you, or that a teacher is missing something. It is that gut feeling, that something just doesn’t feel right as it pertains to your child.

And it can be as invisible as those eyes in the back of your head - but just as powerful. Yet, just as your toddler must believe you have eyes in the back of your head, YOU must believe in your mother’s intuition.

Tell us. Have you ever known something or felt something about your child despite the fact that others have you told you differently? Give us an example of your mother’s intuition!

Stef Daniel
Stef Daniel is the 40ish year old, experienced (meaning crazy already) mother of count ‘em…4 daughters (yes, she takes prayers) who have taught her nearly E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G she needs to know about raising kids and staying sane. She hails from ...Read More

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