Supermom is a Myth

If you've spent any time in the blog world, then you've likely been exposed to your share of Mom-related anxiety. The guilt spans the ocean of worrying that our kids aren't getting enough vegetables, to obsessing over whether or not we are doing enough brain-stimulating crafts with our kids. Sometimes we fret over whether we're yelling too much-- some of us feel we are pushovers.

And most of us believe that other mothers are doing it better.

Sure, you've got the moms out there that are definitely not doing it better-- and the mugshots on TV to prove it.

But if you're anything like me, your reality about what a mom should and does do is based on those mothers you come into regular contact with. And everyone else seems to be handling this mom gig better than you. They bake more. They do more crafts. They apply discipline better and remember to wash the kids' linens before they are crusty with boogers. They are thinner, better cooks, and probably even (gasp!) have time for romantic evenings with their partners.

In short, they are Supermoms.

But if you didn't already know it, I'm going to remind you today: the Supermom is a myth.

She doesn't exist.

We are all imperfect in our parenting. We all have our trashy junk drawers, our well-kept dusty secret corners, and our festering anxieties. We all have something about our parenting that we wish we could do better-- and most of us, most of the time, are doing the best we can.

Perhaps that means that we are all Supermoms.

But when I find myself wasting my energy comparing myself to what I believe other mothers have/are/do/create for their children, I try to keep it in check. For one, nothing productive can come out of that worry. For two, I have no idea what it's like on the other side of their fence. For three, maybe that "supermom" is looking over my fence thinking the same things about me.

There's a cheesy self-motivational artist named Sark, and she writes:

You are enough.
You have enough.
You do enough.

I try to remind myself of that, when I see these mothers that I aspire to emulate. And I try to give myself a break.

Have you given yourself a break today?