If I could pick my own set of superpowers….

As the mother of two boys, superheroes are often on my mind (and on the floor, and under the table, and wedged between sofa cushions).   This is one of the many discoveries of parenthood; as a kid myself, my own tastes ran more towards Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake than Batman and Spiderman, so the whole Marvel thing is pretty new to me.  But I have to say, there’s something pretty cool about these characters and all their superhuman powers.

And all this leads to an irresistible question: If I myself could possess any  set of superpowers, which ones would I choose? 

Obviously, if this were a real choice I’d go for the big ones, like curing cancer or ending child exploitation or global warming.  But once those powers were firmly established, there are still some secondary superpowers I’d like to have. These are powers that would exist simply to make my life as a working mom a little bit easier.  (I can dream, can’t I?)

Here they are, in no particular order.

*The ability to find an available parking space just by thinking about it, even in the most crowded lot (particularly when a small passenger has just informed that he really REALLY needs to use the toilet).

*Related power: The ability to snap my fingers and clean even the most noxiously disgusting public restroom.

*The power to bilocate (needed for the days when the boys are on vacation and I, alas,  am not.)

*X-ray vision so as to immediately locate the miniscule Lego figure that is lost somewhere in the snarl of our messy house and whose discovery is absolutely critical to a small boy’s happiness. (Couldn’t they make those guys bigger?  Outfit them with  GPS tracking devices? )

*The power to make all airline flights run on time.   (If you’ve ever been delayed in an airport with small kids, you know that every minute feels like a week).

*Super-elasticity, so I could make the bunk beds without flirting with back injury

*The power to freeze time, for those moments when your child does something heart-stoppingly earnest or sweet or touching.  (If only we could, right?)

I’m sure I’ll think of more, but that’s my first pass at the list. What are the superpowers that YOU long to have?