Superman’s Got Nothing On Supemom

My just-turned-four-year-old is obsessed with superheroes. You can regularly see him in local grocery stores donning an ankle-length black and gold satin cape (see below) or perusing the Netflix cue for the best in classic (I’m talking 1990) Spiderman episodes. It’s an innate fascination of good vs. evil that little boys have (read: testing limits…), but it got me thinking about how moms are basically superheroes in disguise. Think Clark Kent here. The spandex is just in the form of yoga pants, and we don’t always try to cover it up. Uncertain about being a supermom? Read on.

Example #1 – All superheroes have heightened senses. So do we!

Taste – Supermom can camouflage healthy food with the best of them. We can taste that it’s in there, but they certainly can’t! Spinach and chia seeds in a smoothie! Ground turkey in a quesadilla! Fooled you, taste buds.

Sight – Supermom walk into someone else’s house (often a child-less friend) and spot the hazards within minutes seconds. Wine rack on the bottom shelf of your cute little kitchen island? Gotcha. Lovely glass coffee table right at eye-level? I spy you.

Sound – Supermom can hear a baby cry from miles (MILES!) away, even if it’s not our own. I still remember my first solo grocery store trip post-baby. Crying baby in aisle 5. Thank you, nursing pads. Also, Daddy sleeps through the night sometimes… (ha!), but we hear a slight change in breathing through a monitor or a whimper through three doors and over the dishwasher’s hum.

Smell – Diapers. Need I say more? We can smell it when no one else can.

Touch – Sometimes, a baby/toddler needs their Mommy. That 3 a.m. desire to snuggle up against the curve of your neck. Because the weight of your right hand on their back is what they need to feel safe and secure enough to drift back into the scary world of sleep.

Example #2 – Spiderman

He’s got SPIDEY SENSES. All five of the ones ordinary people have (see above) and then his sixth sense. His spidey sense. Described as a premonition or understanding of evil before it happens. This is the calm before the storm—the period of too-long silence from the other room. The seeing accidents happen in slow motion with just enough time to prevent them (sometimes).

Example #3 – Superman

Superhuman strength. Yeah, we’ve got that. Aside from carrying children for ~40 weeks and then sustaining their health and wellness for YEARS, supermom is physically stronger than we give ourselves credit for. Functioning on little to no sleep, we still manage to carry a 25lb toddler on one hip while single-handedly cracking an egg for another child’s breakfast or spreading cream cheese on toast. Yeah, it’s possible. We do it.

What makes YOU feel like a Supermom?