While I am part of the small percentage of girls that admittedly loves all superheroes, every girl has at least one superhero that they look to and aspire to be like at some point in their life. I am not sure how they so swiftly move through life, but moms are actual superheroes in the lives of their children. Moms are superheroes through their capacity to wake up each and everyday, get out of bed, and do what they can to make their children’s lives better than they were the day before.
Throughout childhood and young adulthood, different challenges pop up in our lives, whether they pertain to friendships, romantic relationships, academics, or struggling with who and what we want to be when we grow up. With every struggle we take to our mother, she immediately is able to tell us exactly what we need to hear. I am not sure how moms do that, but somehow they always know what their child needs to hear to get through a trying time.
My mom has not had as flawless of a life as I thought when I was growing up. Just like everyone else, she has faced many challenges in her life, but those challenges are what have given her the tools to know how to help her children. Whether I ask my mom for help on something as simple as what to wear to a family event, or being hungry but being so stubborn that I continually say that nothing sounds good, she can always problem solve and end up giving me exactly what I need, even if it is not what I necessarily wanted. That is another piece of magic that comes with moms -- they do not tell you what you want to hear just so that you are happy. Rather, they tell you what they know you need to hear in order to come out stronger, more confident, and better than you were before.
While some powers that mothers have are incredibly impactful, there are others that may not be recognized as often but profoundly impact us even if just for a short while. Growing up, one of the most incredible powers my mom ever had was her ability to find whatever piece of clothing that I had spent an hour searching for, in under a minute. I was always amazed that she was able to find just what I wanted so quickly when I could not find it no matter how much time I may have spent turning my room upside in a mad search. Our mothers have this instinctive ability to pick up the pieces of whatever messy situation we may take to them and then use their tools to help us learn how to get back up no matter how many times we may have been knocked off of our feet.
Since I was a little girl my mom has fed my imagination and pushed me to do the things that scare me the most. She has always been one of my biggest fans and most definitely one of my truest friends. While we wonder constantly how our mothers are able to juggle everything from carpools, to cheering us on at sporting events, to planning each family get together, among so many other things, one day we wake up and realize that we have become our mothers. One day we will be the ones viewed as these all knowing beings that can do no wrong in our children’s eyes. The day that my children look at me with the same awe that I always felt when looking at my mother will be the day that I know my wildest dream of becoming a superhero has come true. I do not need a cape, super strength, or the ability to fly. All that I need is the ability to channel what my mother has shown me throughout my life to be what makes her a superhuman and in my opinion the greatest of all superheroes.
