Even the most casual fan of Superman has got to wonder: Why didn’t
Lois Lane ever put two and two together and realize that Superman and Clark
Kent were one in the same? Sure, they were never in the same place at the same
time, so it would have been hard to do a side-by-side comparison. And Clark had
those glasses. But still. You’ve got to think that someone as seemingly smart
as Lois Lane would have made the connection.
But then I start to think of my very own superhero, the Super Mom.
She’s brilliant and articulate about current events. Her kids are always
well-behaved. Her house is spotless. She serves balanced meals, made from
scratch. And her whole family is just ridiculously cute. Always.
This is in stark contrast to my life. My most brilliant ramblings
usually have to do with reality television. My 3-year-old daughter likes to run
away from me at the grocery store. My house is messy. Pop-Tarts and frozen
pizza is considered dinner. And ridiculously cute … well, I guess we are. (One
out of five isn’t bad.) Except in the mornings, when we’re all crabby and
un-bathed. It’s not pretty.
In short, I’m normal. But yet, I can’t help but wonder what I’m doing
wrong. If Super Mom can do it all, why can’t I?
That’s when I got to thinking: Maybe Super Mom doesn’t really
exist. Sure, from the outside, she may look like she has it together. But
really, it’s just a big façade. She’s just an ordinary mom, like Clark Kent,
with some super powers she can unleash on occasion. As outsiders, we only see
the fabulous dinner party the mom of two was able to pull off. We don’t see
that behind-the-scenes, she got in a fight with her husband because he forgot
to take out the garbage, yelled at her kids for getting underfoot (and then
sent them downstairs to watch “The Lion King”) and actually had the whole
shindig catered.) By the time we arrived, “Super Mom” was calm, cool and
collected. “Oh this? This is nothing,” she says. “Hardly took any time at all.”
Why don’t more moms make the connection? It would sure save a lot
of heartache to realize early on that the secret behind Super Mom is that she
really doesn’t exist at all – or that, rather, she doesn’t exist all the time.
No one person can do it all every minute of the day.
We all think other moms are doing it better, but
really, we're all doing the same thing – trying to do our best.
I didn’t make the beds this morning (or
yesterday or the day before, for that matter). I don’t wash my floors unless I
absolutely have to. I’ll let my kids watch television instead of engaging them
with educational flash cards.
But the kiddos and I make cookies together all
the time. We dance in the living room. We always read before bed. In short, we
have fun. When I know I’m having guests over, I’ll go into a cleaning frenzy.
(Please avert your eyes from the mess in the living room should you stop over
when I’m not expecting you.)
There will be time later to do the dishes. The
time will come too quickly when the kids will be grown. Super Mom can wait.
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