Disclosure

Where were you on July 3rd? At a parade or off celebrating an extended weekend? Grocery shopping for a big 4th of July picnic or get together? I was sitting in a waiting room holding back tears as Kennedy underwent oral surgery to have two permanent teeth removed from behind her palate. It was at the doctor’s recommendation and we needed to do it before they caused any damage to the roots of her two front teeth. This wasn’t the first time she had surgery either. Being petite, she needed to have four baby teeth removed a few years back because there simply isn’t room for all of them. When they called us into the recovery room, my heart broke seeing her so groggy and miserable. She started crying and as I wiped away her tears, I held back my own. I was grateful the nurse said it’s normal for girls to cry as the anesthesia wears off, but it didn’t make me feel any better. As a mom, my protective mode is always on.

I started thinking back to all the things that happen to our children as they grow up. It’s always so difficult as we see them suffer what they feel is the world’s end. Something seemingly simple and normal like getting shots at the doctor or meeting a new teacher. The things of life such as heartbreak, skinned knees and more severe injuries. And more severe matters like bullying and anxiety that no child should have to endure. We ache for them when they have a big assignment due or when a classmate says they don’t want to be friends any more. When we see them unjustly treated by someone of authority or picked last as part of a team, our instincts are to protect.

All of it is difficult and we just want to wrap our arms around them, take the brunt of the force and absorb the pain – both emotional and physical. It’s a universal truth of motherhood. Human moms are called things like “Mama Bear” and “Tiger Mom” for a reason – because they demonstrate the extreme powers of other creatures in nature when it comes to protecting their children. In the long run, moms strive to arm their children with the tools needed to make good decisions, be aware of their safety, think about health and well-being, develop coping mechanisms and grow a thick skin.

From the emotional and physical situations that we experience and make us who we are, to the simple things like protecting families from the spread of germs in the home, moms do what moms do because it’s instinct. Lysol hit the nail on the head with their Protect Like a Mother video showcasing and celebrating a mom’s natural protective instincts and honoring how a mom’s first priority is her children’s safety. If you’re a mom, do you see yourself in any of these examples? Are you the elephant who joins forces with all the other female elephants to protect and raise all the babies in the herd? “It take a village…” Are you the humpback whale who will travel to the end of the world to provide a safe environment for your child?

Each type of mom in nature does the same thing – protect her offspring. It’s only natural that we want to do the same thing. Protect our kids. Whether at home or heading back to school, we have enough other things we need to protect our kids from, it’s nice to feel like germs isn’t one of them. I remember my mom using Lysol spray when I was a kid. My favorite are the Lysol wipes which weren’t around in when I young. They’re super handy for quick cleanup, but I personally like using them on things like doorknobs and light switches!

As a busy mom, I don’t always feel like I am able to dedicate enough time to cleaning so using a product with a history of doing it right and doing it well is comforting. Lysol has been an award-winning leader in killing germs for over 100 years, offering products such as Lysol spray and wipes that kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces so moms can feel confident that kids aren’t passing germs and getting sick. Set up an Amazon Prime auto-ship and you won’t even have to run to the store to get them and encourage your kids to help around the house!

Lysol’s Protect Like a Mother campaign features so many animals from nature and each has a different way of protecting and guarding. Most moms probably simulate a combination of those creatures’ actions depending on their child’s situation, but probably feel most connected with one. We want to know which mom of nature is your spirit animal. Share your thoughts for a chance to win a Protect Like a Mother Lysol prize package containing a variety of Lysol products.

Lysol Protect Like a Mom Giveaway

