Superheroes

Super: (adjective) cool, sensational, groovy, marvelous

Hero: (noun) a person revered especially for noble courage; brave person; champion

For about a week now, my children have been asking me to draw pictures of superheroes that they would like to be. We've had earth boy who, dressed in camaflouge (of course) has all the powers of earth...he can make volcanoes erupt, cause tidal waves and tornadoes etc...My daughter was pincher girl who carried around scissors and destroyed bad guys with her pink, jewel covered princess scissors. My youngest, God bless her, was super hero girl who could run fast, jump high and shake her booty to rid the world of villains.

There were several others because they wanted to change who they were every day as their imaginations went into overdrive. During this time I noticed that no one wanted to be "supermom". I consider myself super. I've got some great powers, I can yell really loud. I can talk on the phone AND empty the dishwasher AND make breakfast all at the same time. I can leap over toys in a single bound. I can sort laundry really fast, whip up a whirlwind lunch, and oh man, you should see me zoom around with the vacuum.

The next time they came to ask me to change their super hero, I ask if any of them wanted to be supermom. Three pairs of big blue eyes looked up at me and there was silence. I could see the wheels turning in their little heads and then they started laughing. I must say I was not amused. As they were giggling they wanted to know what supermom was. So I asked them what powers they thought I had.

After some serious thought, my precocious four year old said, "You read us stories"

"You kiss my boo boos" said my littlest ray of sunshine.

"You help us brush our teeth, you make us take baths and showers, you break up our fights, you pick me up from the bus stop and, ummmmm, you get us good babysitters" my serious son explained while counting on his fingers. "Can you draw our new superheroes now mom, and boys can't be supermoms because boys are boys and moms are girls!"

"Of course I can sweetie" I answered, surprised and fighting back tears. It occurred to me that my kids didn't really notice if the living room was vacuumed, or the laundry was folded or the dishwasher emptied. The furniture can be dusty, the beds unmade and they would still adore me. I have been so worried about trying to be MY version of supermom that I didn't notice the REAL super power I possess, and that is just being mom.