The Age of the Super-Mom

We all know THAT woman.  She is perfectly dressed and accessorized while her meticulous children play quietly and kindly.  Her house is spotless, her kids are academically-sound and she and her husband have a perfect marriage.  She volunteers, manages play dates, enrolls in activities and still manages to get her laundry and home-cooking done.  Who is this woman?

Heck if I know.

Why are we, as woman, obsessed with the concept of the "Super-Mom"?  It is physically impossible to have everything perfect all the time and who wants to anyway?  Perfect is boring.  But really, we continue to carry on so that things LOOK like we are in control...even if we aren't.


I have been called a "Super-Mom" a few times and besides finding it mildly offensive (it doesn't exactly have a positive connotation in my book), it is far from true.  Each one of my children has their own set of problems, issues and areas of concern and if you know me well, I don't cover it up.  And it surprises people.  Not because kids are far from adult-like status but because I am actually talking about it.  And that's the thing that surprises me the most:  Moms don't like to talk about the bad stuff.  It is a whole lot easier to share about Picky #2's reading conquests than the fact that Picky #3 gives me a daily dose of parenting humility.  Or that Picky #1 is an imaginative and beautiful artist but struggles with counting change.  But if you know me really well, you know that I share this information without defeat.  I also willingly share that my house is cluttered and disorganized while the laundry is taking up the floor of our bedroom.  But darn it if we don't eat good food at home.  ;)


As moms we tend to hide all this information in the junk drawer filled with coupons and old thank-you notes.  Yes, it is a lot easier to keep it to yourself and not expose the truths of everyday life but there are a million people out there who actually understand.  Moms who have been through it or know someone who has been through it...and survived!  All we have to do is open our mouths and share.  You might surprise yourself.


And guess what.  Sometimes our sweet little darling children can drive us crazy and that is OK, too.  But imagine the look on people's faces when I share that uncommon piece of information.


Let's kick "Super-Mom" and her image to the curb.  Instead I will embrace the "I'm doing-the-best-I-can-and-hopefully-not-raising-a-serial-killer" Mom status of imperfection, messiness and chaos.  Join me.