I’ll be the first to admit that the phrase “super mom” can be overused and at times even a little annoying. Nowhere near as fast as a speeding bullet, chasing around a toddler while avoiding a mine field of Hot Wheels… she’s a mom, she’s… a superhero? Let’s get one thing straight here, Superman didn’t get where he is now by popping on a blue unitard, drawing an “S” on his chest and walking around with a sense of self-entitlement—so gives your average everyday mom the right to call herself “super mom”?
Society paints the picture of a super mom as someone like Victoria Beckham. She takes her kids to soccer in stilettos, whisks them away on a whim to prance on the beaches of Jamaica, and lost her baby weight in less time than it took to labor her child. Now I’m sure that Ms. Beckham is a wonderful mother but let’s face it—this sets the bar a little too high for the rest of us. Walk into the home of a self-proclaimed “super mom” and you’re likely to find toys scattered about the floor, a sink full of dishes crusted with macaroni and cheese, and an exhausted, unshowered mom who may have been wearing the same milk-stained stretch pants for the past 2 days.
So what entitles any of us to call ourselves a super mom? To me, a mom who sacrifices her time, attention, energy, and a good night’s sleep (more like 18 years) to make sure that her kids are happy is a super mom. Her home might be a wreck and she might not have brushed her hair in a week or so, but her kids are happy and healthy. Or maybe she’s figured out a way to get herself showered, dressed, and looking presentable on a daily basis and that in itself deserves a medal. You see, a super mom fills the roles of about 100 people on a daily basis—chauffeur, chef, housekeeper, teacher, drill sergeant—just to name a few. Some days are more successful than others, but that comes with the territory.
So don’t be ashamed to call yourself a super mom, even if your wrinkled cape is covered in grass stains, doesn’t quite cover the spider veins from birthing a 9 pound baby, and wouldn’t pass a sniff test from a mile away—it fits enough to wear proudly.