If you could have any superpower what would you have?

This is every child’s wish, isn’t it? To be a superhero and have a superpower. Even adults sometimes wonder what superpower would be best. The list is endless, but the most popular ones tend to be flying, invisibility, super strength, speed, or mind reading. But not my son. His answer was as unique as he is. It was something very specific. When he asked me this question, we had just had one of those mad half hours where everyone wants everything doing right there and then. My daughter wanted something printing out, I was trying to work, my son wanted to know about football cards and my phone kept beeping so when my son asked…

“If you could have any superpower what would you have?”

I didn’t give it my full attention until much later. I did answer there and then and told him mind reading. Quite simply because I would love to be in his mind for a day – I would love to know what it feels like to be him. I would love to know if he hears his own voice in his head. I would love to know if he thinks he has said things out loud. I just would love to know how he thinks and what he thinks so my definite superpower would be mind reading. And so I answered my son’s question fairly easily and quickly but later on when everything had calmed down I asked him what his super power would be and he answered just as quickly and easily as me and said….

“I would like to control the time.”

Now of course we know about his obsession with time so I half expected him to say time travel but this is much more specific than just boring old time travel. My son wants to control the time. Time has always been important to him. He is constantly asking what time it is, he finds comfort in knowing exactly when things will happen, and changes to the schedule can throw him off completely. I have learnt that time is so important to him – he needs constant countdowns for everything we do….”10 mins to bedtime”, “5 mins to bedtime”, “Two mins to bedtime” and so on and so on. I have to always be constantly aware of the time and if I miss the countdown then I have to start from when I realise, which can be troublesome when you are in a rush.

On a school morning I know my son needs an hour and a half each morning to make it work. We leave the house at 8.25am so I have to wake him up around ten to 7 and we go through the same steps each morning. Its a process that can’t be changed or rushed. I know he needs 15 minutes to get dressed, I know I need to give him a 10 minute warning to the start of the 15 minutes it takes him to get dressed. I know after he has had those 10 minutes he may need 2 more minutes, or 1 more minute. And if for whatever reason the morning takes a wrong turn I know I cant rush my son, I can’t rush the process – the only thing I can do is sacrifice what I do on a morning and we are at the stage where there is little else I can sacrifice. There are mornings where I literally run round the house. There are mornings where I throw clothes on and throw my hair up in a bobble. There are mornings where there is nothing else I can do except drive faster to school. Its really tricky. Really tricky.

Now this question happened to come in the week where the clock’s changed. Twice a year, we have to shift time forward or backward, so someone is in control of the time, just not my son. I’ve only ever found the clock change irritating for kids, but for my son, who already struggles with time and routines, it’s like pulling the rug from under him. Why do we still do this? I wonder if it’s really worth the disruption. I really don’t think it is.

If my son could truly control time, I imagine he’d make sure it was always consistent—no sudden changes, no unexpected shifts. Just steady, predictable time. Controlling time wouldn’t just be a cool ability it would bring him certainty and security. It would provide him with the extra time he so desperately needs for everything. His need to control time is just one part of his broader desire for control. It’s not about being bossy—it’s about feeling safe. Whether it’s deciding where people sit, choosing the route we take in the car, or sticking to routines, being in control helps him make sense of things. When the world doesn’t follow the expected pattern, it can feel overwhelming, almost like it’s slipping out of his hands.

But then after stating he would control the time, he followed up with something even bigger:

“I’d like to control the universe.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, he would. In his mind, it made perfect sense. If time itself wasn’t enough to feel secure, why not take charge of everything? After all, why settle for just controlling time when you can rule the entire universe? It was a classic moment of his brilliant, bold imagination at work—thinking beyond limits, reaching for ultimate control.

And honestly, if anyone could pull it off, it would be him.