So, my child is in a superhero phase. Completely independent of her nerdy father (whom I love dearly, and whose geekiness I celebrate), she has developed a fascination with heroes, superpowers and saving the day. Her two favorite songs right now are Hillsong Kid’s “Jesus, You’re my Superhero” and Go Fish’s “Superhero” [which, as an aside, you should totally look up on YouTube–it’s actually really catchy!]. Seriously, the kid is eaten up with it.
She’s so into it that last week she assigned each of us in the family a superhero alter ego. Super Mirra, Wonder Mommy, Bat Daddy and Super Sophie (the dog). No pressure there.
After a weekend of absolute laziness as the three of us recovered from yucky colds, I launched into the work week fresh and energized. The past month has been absolute chaos with mounting work obligations, a new business venture on the side, church projects and the everyday pandemonium of being a parent to a toddler. My body finally just said, “Hey, I’m done. You’re resting,” and it was like someone pulled my plug. I vowed not to get myself in any more tizzies over my schedule; to take “me” time and to let things go that aren’t absolutely vital to my (or my family’s) existence.
Then the day started. My schedule started to fill in. My to-do list started to get longer. My perky disposition started to droop. I texted James at some point during the morning with the statement, “Not trying to be difficult, just trying to be Wonder Mommy.” Didn’t hit me until later how dangerous it can be to put too much effort into living up to that alter ego’s demands.
While I absolutely want to be my daughter’s hero, I want it to be based on the things that matter. The eternal things. Looking back at my childhood, I can say with 100% accuracy that I have no recollection of how many tasks or projects my stay-at-home mother managed to juggle in a day. But I CAN remember the times she took to read with me, pray with me, answer my questions, and laugh with me. The Pinterest-inspired, Mommy Wars-driven details that make mothers feel like they have to compete for the title of Wonder Mommy (because, really, let’s be honest, isn’t that a pedestal we like to be put on??) simply don’t matter in the long run. This is a really, REALLY difficult for this perfectionist Mama to get through her thick skull. I want to do it all, and do it well best. I’m changing my prayer from “God, please help me to get it all done today!” to “God, please help me to make the best use of my time by pleasing YOU today.”
And, while I’m learning how to live all that out, I will still be Wonder Mommy: Keeper of the schedule, finder of lost socks, fixer of broken toys, reader of storybooks, and rescuer of little girls who are stuck in their cribs after naptime! I will just do it all with a hefty dose of reality, and I’ll work on not taking myself so seriously! 🙂
Until next time..
– B
No Lone Rangers 