The words on my newest mug say, “super mom.” My daughter picked it out at her school’s Penguin Patch, a program that allows children to shop for their families. Knowing my love for coffee, my daughter bought a coffee mug. If you ask her, she will tell you I am a super mom.
I sure don’t feel like a super mom.
My superpowers would not be that of a superhero. I can go from Mary Poppins to Cruella De Vil in a split second. I can take a perfectly good meal and ruin it with no effort. I mysteriously make my belongings disappear — all the time.
The world sees mothers as heroes in other ways.
“Not all heroes wear capes.”
“Who needs a superhero when you have a mom?”
“I’m a mom. What’s your superpower?”
These are just a few, of many, quotes about mothers being heroes.
Every friend of mine who has children will tell you they do not feel like a super mom or that we are true heroes. We may look at other mothers and give them that label. It’s easy when our flaws are the first to come to mind. When we see another mom juggling more children with ease, we tell ourselves they are the real heroes. When we see the moms volunteering hours at school, the working moms who balance contributing to society and raising children, the single mom, the moms of multiples… we look to others to diminish our sense of worth. We tell ourselves these are the real heroes.
The truth is, we are all superheroes, no matter where we are in our journey.
Our age, careers, beliefs, and parenting styles may be different, but we all possess the same qualities that would qualify us as superheroes. Bravery and courage make up a large part of who we are. We face each day with struggles right off the bat. Some days, we do not want to get out of bed. The anxiety of what is to come can be paralyzing, yet we carry on. Simple tasks, such as taking little ones on an outing, is a brave move.
We withstand the most intense pain known to man, and our bodies are capable of the unimaginable. Pain is not just physical but comes in the form of heartache. When our child hurts, we hurt more. We risk our well being and make enormous sacrifices for the good of our children. We would lay down our lives for them.
We do have the superpowers of superheroes, just on a different level.
We don’t have x-ray vision, but we can see what’s going on with our children by merely looking at them. With little to no evidence, we can tell you there is a problem. And not only do we know, we feel. We can feel their emotions on a bigger scale.
We can teleport our children to far off lands from our own homes through stories and play. Cardboard boxes take us to outer space. We can make a beach anywhere with towels and blankets. We build kingdoms with blanket forts.
It’s incredible how a hug or kiss can take away their pain. When we wrap them in our arms, we give this sense of security only we can provide. Our loving touch is the most powerful. We fight those scary monsters in the closet, nightmares, and fears without weapons. Our arms are enough to protect our children.
We have multiple roles wrapped into one. A mom is a nurse, educator, chauffeur, artist, chef, entertainer, peacemaker, decorator, master planner, the list goes on. We are naturally programmed to do countless jobs in the form of one person.
Ultimately what matters is that in our child’s eyes, we are the real superheroes in life.
