My 6-year-old daughter has been sleeping with my nightgown rolled up and tucked under her chin for several months. Every night she took the nightgown, took a deep breath and said: “Smells like my mom”. She did not let anyone lay their head on my pillow or touch my nightgown because she thought they would smell like her mom. So, she tucked my nightgown under her cheek and drifted off to sleep. I was watching her fall asleep and wondering what mom’s smell looked like and how a piece of crumpled cloth could bring peace to her heart. Newborns recognize their mother’s scent soon after birth. Though infant’s vision is not so well developed at birth, he can recognize that his mother is next to him by her smell. A baby craves for skin-to-skin contact and it helps him to bond with his mom. He often falls asleep at the breast (who has experienced this?) while hearing his mom’s heartbeat and inhaling her scent. What does Mom smell like? – Milk and love. As the baby is growing up, the world around him changes. He runs, falls, rises, gets hurt and returns to his Mom. What does mom smell like? -Support and tenderness. Then he rebels, he achieves new goals, he fights for freedom, he tries to find his place in the world, but at the end he comes to his mom for support. -Mothers have a special odor. They smell like forgiveness. As he gets older he does not have the chance to hug his mother very often, but when it happens, he hugs her tightly to his chest. What does Mom smell like? – Strength and faith. Over time, he probably won’t even feel his mother’s smell. The world will rip him out of his mother’s arms. But the support, tenderness, forgiveness, strength, faith, love and a glass of milk on Sundays in his mother’s cozy kitchen will always remain with him.