Supermom

There is a common misconception out there that a mom must be supermom. This often leads to feelings of frustration and guilt as one is trying to gain the supermom status. Sometimes this supermom expectation could be the idea that one must have the hour-long quiet time with the Lord she used to have in order to be the godly mom and wife she’s been called to be, but she is so up to her elbows in diapers, refereeing, and house duties, that hour of quiet with her Lord is quite impossible.

There are also supermom expectations that include: a spotless home, a healthy organic dinner being ready on time every evening, you must look good for your husband at all times or he will stray, and it’s your job as supermom to keep your family happy at all times. No wonder it can be overwhelming, isolating, and lonely being a mom! If I have to be the definition of supermom to be a good mom, I have failed miserably and God, help my kids!

If we allow supermom to define how we’re doing as a mom, something is going to fall through the cracks, and that usually ends up being our very own sanity! I have seen this happen too many times...to myself. I have gone many-a-days without a shower, throwing my hair up in a ponytail to hide the grease and tangles. I have gone many lunches without eating because I’m too busy getting my kids’ lunches together then cleaning up the kitchen and moving on to the next activity. I have had countless sleepless nights as babies and older kids learn to sleep through the night or get sick. I have eaten many cold dinners after the kids are done because I’ve been too busy trying to wrangle the kids during the meal to eat it when it’s hot. Taking care of our family is not a bad thing…it’s actually something we are called to do as wives and mothers. It’s when being “mom” replaces who we are in Christ, or when mom is only mom and nothing else. This is when a mom can easily burn out and not be the woman, wife, and mother God intends for her to be.

If you have been feeling guilty or frustrated because you can’t accomplish as much as you think Supermom Sally down the street can, stand up and say, “SUPERMOM DOES NOT EXIST!” Because, guess what? She doesn’t. There is no such thing as supermom. It is a figment of our imagination. It is something our society and/or our imaginations have made up to live up to something that is completely impossible. It is discouraging and unattainable.

Now that we know that supermom does not exist, we can begin to shred off the lies and misconceptions that come with the term “mom” and we can begin to walk in the truth and freedom that Christ brings. We can become the women, wives, and mothers that Christ has created us to be, and we can have more grace with ourselves when we feel we have messed up.