Quick! I’m going to say the phrase Super Mom and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. If you’re like me, it’s quite picturesque. She’s making the quintessential breakfast in a perfectly decorated kitchen, with perfectly clean baseboards and perfectly happy children. There are no crumbs on the floor, no dishes in the sink, everyone is smiling. Sort of like something out of a magazine shoot with glossy pages and smiles full of perfectly white teeth.
The problem is, our perception is far removed from reality. Reality doesn’t look like the covers of parenting magazines. In reality, we know that one of those children is going to drop a few crumbs on the floor, that breakfast is going to cause a mess in the kitchen, and there will be some whining before breakfast even hits the plates. That’s life, both messy and beautiful.
I don’t think that the super mom we have in our head is a true representation of the real super mom. Instead, I think there are tons of super moms, walking around, raising little ones, falling into bed each night with full and grateful hearts, no mater what the day brought their way. That my friends, is super mom.
No, it’s not the super moms we’re lacking, it’s a reality check. I think maybe our view of who she is and what she does is skewed. Actually, skewed isn’t the appropriate word, our view is wrong. Super wrong.
You know who I think super mom is?
I think super mom is you.
I think she’s the one who loves her children with every fiber of her being.
I think she’s the one who kisses skinned knees and fights back tears when her children are hurting.
I think she’s the one who sacrifices on behalf of her children, who puts their needs above her own.
I think she’s the one who encourages other moms, especially new moms, the ones with teary eyes and stained shirts.
I think she’s the one who just sat on the floor and played Candy Lane for the millionth time, while the laundry wrinkled from staying in the dryer too long.
And what does she look like? That’s not hard to figure out, just look in the mirror.
She looks absolutely worn out after sitting beside a steaming shower at 3:00 in the morning to give her congested child some relief.
She looks like you, and me. She looks like your neighbor, or the person beside in the preschool pick up line.
She looks like she just threw on a pair of yoga pants from her closet floor to run to the grocery store.
She looks like she’s doing her best, she’s giving her all, even when she feels like there’s nothing left to give.
I think we should stop shunning the idea of being super mom and start accepting the notion that there’s a little super mom in us all. We should stop dwelling on our weaknesses and embrace our strengths. It’s just as important that we stop bashing others for their strengths. You know what I mean, you also know that if you think really hard about it, you have strengths that others would love to have.
That’s right, I think we’re all super moms in our own unique way. You know what else I think? I think that if we’d take the time to appreciate others and their abilities we’d all be a little happier, we’d all have a little more peace in our hearts.
So go out there and be super mom.
Own it.
Love your children, splash some dry shampoo in your hair (you can fool so many), and encourage a few others along the way.
I love this! Sometimes I think people get caught up compositing themselves to friends/bloggers/their own ideas of what they should be doing, that they don’t realize they are doing a great job too!
Comparing*
But maybe they are compositing too… Who knows? 😉
I agree, it’s easy to forget how great we do, how good we have it when we start comparing.
Yay for you for sharing this!! I know these words will encourage hearts in need of some uplifting words.
What a great way to start the week! Thanks a million!-Allison
Thanks so much, Allison!
I’m all for encouraging!!! 🙂 Love you! (I wrote a post a few years ago about how I’m not more super than the mom who’s my neighbor. And, for me, super mom is a collective team of women who supportive me so I can be the best mom I can be. They pick my kids up when I’m running late and I do the same for them. It’s so much easier to support people!)
I love that! You’re exactly right!
Great post! Thank you for sharing it today!
My kids are older now and I don’t feel the “super mom” pressure like I did what they were younger…when I was younger. 😉
But, oh…how I remember those days.
I’m glad to hear it subsides some as they get older 🙂
This is a great post and one I needed to read today. I try to do it all and I can’t – no one can, but I shouldn’t beat myself up about it. Thank you!
Thanks, Anna. I think that’s the hardest part for me, not being to do it all. But, I have to keep reminding myself I can do it all half way or I can do what I can and be really devoted to that and be really good at what I can do.
Hi, Jennifer! I just found your blog through Everyday Cheer! And, I totally needed this post today {and most days for that matter}. With constant bombardment from social media of what a great mom is, it’s easy for me to get confused in my thinking. A perfect mom isn’t making great meals in a spotless house, it’s enjoying sweet moments with our children and husband!
Jen, thanks so much for coming over from EDC, and thank you for your sweet words. I think you’re exactly right, years from now it won’t be laundry and dishes that I remember, but these sweet moments with my husband and daughter.
Love this post!!
Thanks, Ali!
Ohhh, yes…love and dry shampoo. The essentials for every super mom!! Don’t you think we can conquer the world with just those two things. And maybe some coffee…
Yes!! Amen! 🙂
Thanks for the Pep Talk Jennifer! I need to pin this and click on it daily! 🙂
Thanks for reading along :*)
Thanks. I needed that. I’ve got a killer headache tonight after my toddler twins spent nearly an hour crying and pulling on my skirt as I’m trying to clean the world’s grossest bathroom (only got it half done) after working all day and making and cleaning up dinner. But it is a good feeling to collapse at the end of the night knowing that you got in as many cuddles as possible, even from the 2 grouchy toddlers. Being a mom is not for the weak, that’s for sure!
Oh, Nikki I can so relate. Sometimes I feel so defeated, then she falls asleep and looks so peaceful and sweet. I can’t even imagine why I was frustrated or overwhelmed. And you’re exactly right, it’s not a job for the week 🙂
This post just brought tears to my eyes, Jennifer. After being up most of the night with a cranky (almost) 8 month old suffering from double ear infections, your words went straight to my heart. Sometimes, I don’t feel like I am keeping up with even the day-to-day, much less being anything close to Super Mom. But then, my little man grins up at me or snuggles his little head against my shoulder, and I realize that he’s all that matters. Not the state of my house (though I do wish it were a littler cleaner most of the time), or the items in my closet, or how I look. So, thank you for this empowering post. It was just what I needed to read!:)
Thank you for posting this. I am pretty hard on myself sometimes because I work a full time job an hour away from my home and I feel like I’m taking away from my kids and husband, but I do a damn good job at being mom and wife despite that.
Love this! I’m totally addicted to Pinterest! I love it! But, sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m not in a competition with all of these other moms out there! We all have different lives, different kids, different strengths! I recently realized that I am everything that my kids need me to be and I’m going to spend more time focusing on that than comparing myself to others!