The Words a Mother Never Wants to Hear

When Meg Herriot's son spoke some heartbreaking words, she found a way to point him toward the best solution.

Words a Mother Never Wants to Hear

“Mom, there is nothing you can do or say to make me feel better.” The first time I heard these words, my son had a severe ear infection and fever. We ended up pulling an all-nighter in the ER and thankfully he improved. More recently I heard these words going through some tween issues. Some tween issues that he was right: I couldn’t make better. We are in a broken world and there are broken people who hurt others I can’t fix.

Whether it was divine intervention, in the form of reminding me of the words, “Do Whatever He Tells You,” which was imprinted in my head from a Wedding Feast at Cana scene I saw throughout my tumultuous college years, or our Heavenly Mother, because she has the motherhood thing down, I turned to my son and said, “You’re right. I can’t fix this.”  

Thankfully, my son’s school had an order of Sisters devoted to the Blessed Sacrament join our parish last year. They are wonderful. One of the many wonderful fruits of their addition to the parish is that they started something called “Worship Wednesday.” 

Like a lot of Catholic schools, the school has a weekly Mass, on Wednesday. They asked our clergy if after the school Mass, they could have Eucharistic Adoration. They bring their religion classes (Ages K-8) for age appropriate time in Adoration. They introduce the kids to the many different ways you can adore Jesus (reading, in prayer, different positions, and the like). Though my son had previous experience with Adoration, these weekly visits with Jesus made Adoration more accessible. 

I Can't Fix It, But I Know Who Can 

So, once I told my son, “You’re right. I can’t fix this,” I suggested we go to someone who could. It was 11:30 PM, and he looked intrigued. “Want to go see Jesus?” He looked at me like I was crazy. My husband was kind of confused. “We have a perpetual adoration chapel at our Church. I think someone gave me the code.” So I said, “Wanna go?” 

This was a novel idea for my son. Going out at midnight on a school night? He asked me to take the long way to drive to the chapel. During that time, we talked about white martyrdom and red martyrdom. Jesus doesn’t always “fix” things exactly how we want Him to. Sometimes we are called to martyrdom to self. Sometimes our pain becomes redemptive suffering. These concepts were something that seemed to have more fertile ground at midnight. 

I am grateful that there is a Lord, greater than any parent, Who can fix a heart when we can’t. I need to remember that sometimes when I am stressed and anxious about fixing the world for my child, I can’t. Only Jesus can. He is there when we are willing to be humble and call His name. 

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Copyright 2025 Meg Herriot
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