I haven’t blogged in a while and who knows when I’ll have a
thought good enough to share again, but I felt like today was a good time to
share this. Perhaps someone needs to hear it, or perhaps just I need to hear
it. Maybe one or two will actually read it and once again I’ll feel totally
exposed by opening up my thoughts and heart to others. But I’m hoping someone
will realize their Supermom power with me. It’s a term that I’ve never felt
describes me because of all my imperfections, but I’ve come to realize that we
are all Supermoms. I’m hoping someone will have a glimpse at who they are and
realize too that they aren’t inferior, unsuccessful, unimportant,
unappreciated. I’m hoping someone will see that just being a mom who cares
about and loves her kids in turn makes her Supermom. We don’t need to be
Pinterest perfect. We don’t need to have it all together. By just caring for our
kids, we have hidden powers, alternate identities, and strengths that we don’t
even realize. So here goes…
Yesterday, as I was working on making their costumes, my
kids asked me what I’m going to be for Halloween. I answered “I’m going to be a
Mom-With-A-Baby-Strapped-To-Me-Who-Has-A-Dinosaur-Pet-Costume-Attached-To-His-Carrier
because I saw it on Pinterest and it looked like a good idea for $5.” They gave
me a look like I had two heads and I thought well, tomorrow I’ll have 3 heads…
But then I had a thought (because you know, us moms have inner dialogues in our
heads all day long) and decided at that moment that I’m also going to wear a
cape too. 
My cape isn’t a bright red cape with a giant S on it, or a
glittery pink cape that grabs your attention. No, my cape is one with a few
holes in it. It’s black, an understated color, and has been sitting in my kids’
closet for a long time. It has been there since he insisted I make him a Darth
Vader costume so I went out and bought fabric and spent my time sewing him a
costume and cape only to have him be given a fancy store-bought Vader costume
by a generous grand parent. So there sits this sad little cape at the bottom of
their toy closet, and this Halloween I’m claiming it as mine.
I’m going to wear this holey, understated, too small,
inconspicuous cape that blends in with my black clothing on Halloween because
for once I realized that I am Supermom. And that’s the kind of Supermom I am.
I’m a little worn and ragged, like my cape. I’m not the kind of Supermom that
stands out and screams “I’m a super hero, hear me roar!” My cape, like a lot of
my clothes, is a little small. It’s not big enough to take me to the top of the
world, but it’s just the right size to help me leap when I need to. It’s
nothing fancy or shiny or new. It often goes unnoticed and doesn’t try and grab
your attention but if you look close enough you just might see it. That’s me in
a nutshell.
So it may be late, just the day before Halloween, but I
challenge all of you moms out there to be the Supermom that you are. Find a
cape that suits you, and wear it with honor this Halloween. And if someone asks
what you are dressed as, you can proudly answer “I’m Supermom”.
You all are Supermoms. WE all are Supermoms. To the mom who
takes care of her kids day in and day out with no sign of gratitude other than
the possibility of a hug (and sometimes that hug is enough to make you cry):
You are Supermom. To the “Martha Stewart Mom” who bakes all her fancy cupcakes
and homemade soups and has her make-up perfect with a bow on top and we see you
in the supermarket and are totally enamored and jealous of how much you’ve got
it together, whether you really do or just look like you do: You are Supermom.
To the mom who is about to have her 9th child and her husband is
always away on business so she is often the end-all and be-all to her family
but feels like she’s at the bottom of a never-ending pit of laundry and errands
and doctor’s appointments and house cleaning: You are Supermom. To the mom who
has one child, her husband works from home and is very active with raising your
child, who has a nice clean home as only a mom of one can have: You are
Supermom. To the single mom who has to work to provide for her child and is too
tired to think of her superpowers: You are Supermom. To the mom who gave up her
child for adoption to give that child the life she wishes for her, who thinks
about that child regularly but never gets to see the smile and love in her eyes
as a mother deserves to see: You are Supermom. To the mom who adopted her
child, who gets stupid, inconsiderate comments like “You became a mom the easy
way”, who doesn’t openly wear a sign with her story to avoid such comments: You
are Supermom. To the mom who went through years of hormones and tests and IVF
and all that you endured to become a mom: You are a Supermom. To the mom who home
schools her children, never getting a break, always trying to figure out how to
best teach her child, doing everything in her power to have her child achieve
their best and be their happiest: You are a Supermom. To the mom who sends her
child to traditional school, who spends all day thinking about her kids and
wondering how their day is going, if they are understanding their lessons, how
much home work they will have tonight, worrying about bullies and all that goes
on in school among their peers: You are Supermom. To the mom who feels guilty
for all her imperfections and worries how they may be affecting her children:
You are Supermom. To the mom who baby wears, carrying all the weight of her
child herself: You are Supermom. To the mom who stays home to hand out candy so
all the neighborhood children have a safe door to knock on and a bowl full of
treats waiting for them: You are Supermom. To the mom who cosleeps: You are
Supermom. To the mom who endures the “cry it out method”: You are Supermom. To
the mom who buys expensive Halloween costumes for her kids so they can be the
character they always wanted: You are Supermom. To the mom who makes her
children’s costumes to show thriftiness or out of necessity to save money: You
are Supermom. To ALL the different types of moms out there, with all her
different stories and different backrounds and different emotions and feelings
and worries and parenting styles: You are ALL Supermom.
So this Halloween, I invite you to wear your cape. Maybe it’s a sheet you
pull out of the closet. Maybe it’s a fancy sparkly one. Maybe it’s a holy,
child’s one. Maybe it’s a pretty store-bought one. Maybe it’s a home made one.
Maybe it’s a big, huge cape that helps you soar to great heights. Maybe it’s a
small, little one that helps you take leaps and big jumps because the idea of
soaring with the eagles right now is a little too scary. Whatever cape
represents you, wear your cape. Wear it proud. Wear it strong. YOU are
Supermom.
