Super Mama

Some of us know of these wondrous women who are able to cook, clean and have their kids behave well in public and are almost always nicely dressed and without a grimy spot on their faces. These women are often times what some of us dream to be, for whatever reason, because the idea of being able to do it all is quite glamorous somehow. I think I can blame this on the early days when the moms ran the household and kept the kids in check. When more moms started to work, we were also expected to maintain the high level of sophistication within the household too. We were the well-oiled machine that could withstand the duties of home and work, and often times would not utter a gripe about any of it. So why do we aspire to be the Super Mama? For me, it's a bit of an OCD-complex and the sheer thought of having my own mom be proud of all of the things I can possibly do. How then can we break such a vicious cycle of perfection and quest for being the ultimate mommy machine?

For starters, I can seek out help and kindly accept any offers for assistance. Whether that is babysitting, having a prepared meal, ordering in, sharing with other mamas, or just finding an hour of solace to contemplate absolutely nothing. Realistically, I know that the idea of Super Mama is not achievable because being one requires 24/7 of thinking of everyone else, and I do have a bit of a selfish streak to be so consumed by that. There is not enough time in the day to do it all, so the best thing for me is to tackle what I can and save what I can't for another day.

The last few nights have been a blessing with help from family. The urge to turn on the Super Mama switch was quite strong, but after a long day at the office and two kids who want your undevoted attention, it's better to just be plain ole Mama for a few days. You always have the time to be a mama, and the super part is your kids won't know the difference, nor do they care, if you have the Super switch on or not.