In the past two weeks, two young working moms emailed to say they wished they could be more like me. They particularly admired my self-discipline, organization, my mothering, and my cooking ability. This totally freaked me out because as I watch them care for their families, I often wish I could go back and parent like they do – with a little less structure, a little more joy, and more PBJs for supper.
But most of all, I worry about these moms who compare who I am in my present circumstances with who they are in their present circumstances. They have great husbands, great kids, and good jobs and are wifing, parenting, and working their ways through the most jam-packed phase of their lives. Yet the standard they compare themselves to wifes a most patient man, is an empty nester and works at home alone almost every day. Too bad I can’t rewind the movie of my life ten years so they could make a fair comparison.
Instead, to give these women and anyone else laboring under misconceptions about who I am, I have prepared a list to prove that the Supermom you think you see doesn’t exist. Here goes:
- The reason I’m a good cook is because I’m a picky eater. So I learned to cook so I can eat what I like.
- Worry defines my days. Right now I’m worried because my son who is 26 and just left a monastery and is learning to live with the remnants of PTSD is job-hunting in a bad economy, has no health insurance, and hasn’t called or emailed in three days. But once all that is taken care of, I’ll worry about my daughter or money. On a very good day, I’ll pray about it, rejoice in the promises of God for a few minutes, and then feel guilty when I start worrying again.
- I am very impatient. If you want to know more, ask my husband and kids.
- My husband is very patient about my nagging.
- I am a drama queen. If you want to know more, ask my sister and brother.
- My underwear is never folded and most of my unfolded underwear is full of holes.
- Things fall on top of me when I open my closet drawers.
- I have a sweet tooth.
As you can see, Supermom doesn’t exist at this house. But if you still don’t believe me, check this post in a few days. By then, some of my family members will have augmented my list with their own juicy tidbits. I can hardly wait.
