I’ll be honest with you. There are days when I feel like I have the letter “S” permanently etched on my chest. Emblazoned like some warped Scarlet Letter, letting everyone know that I attempt to do it all. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. There are days when I fail miserably.
I’m not sure when the Supermom Complex starts but I think it’s during pregnancy. You’ve got morning sickness, but you push through it and go to your job every day, even though you’d rather be home on the couch complaining to anyone who’ll listen. You go to work, clean the house, make dinner, and all the while you’re waddling around wondering if you will ever see your feet again. You’re nesting, you’re getting everything ready for the baby, you’re trying to do it all.
Once the baby arrives, the Supermom Complex kicks into high gear. Feed the baby, do a load of laundry, change the baby, run the dishwasher, fold laundry, feed the baby again, etc… As a new mother, we feel like we have something to prove. To whom, I’m not sure. But we have to show the world that we can do it all. Take care of the kids, have a clean home, go to work, cook, and everything else that somehow makes your household function.
The Supermom Complex continues to go into overdrive. We must accomplish everything. Us Supermoms thrive on semblance and order. You are not a Supermom unless you have a mile long “To-Do” list. And your list must include things that you will not even remotely accomplish. That’s part of the complex.
We make ourselves crazy with everything that must get done. Sure, we could delegate. There are things that we don’t have to do; someone else can do it right? Wrong! Did I mention that us Supermoms have a problem with perfection? It’s only right if WE do it! No one can perform the task the way we do. Others may try but a task is not done until it is done perfectly. By the Supermom. But thanks for trying. We truly appreciate the effort!
Although I have only been a Supermom for 2 years, I know I have many more years of task-driven perfection ahead of me. I could say that I’m going to lessen my load and turn in my Supermom Badge, but that would be a lie. As women, we have an inability to sit still and let things fix themselves. Dishes in the sink drive me bonkers, so even if I am dead tired, I will clean them up.
So Supermoms, unite in the blissful fact that you are not alone. You aren’t the only one trying to do it all, maintaining perfectly manicured nails while running around chasing your kid in high heels. Wear your “S” and own it!
At least until the end of the day when you collapse from complete exhaustion.
[…] the pool in the back yard ready for summer and so much more. It’s easy for parents to get the “super-mom complex” as described by fellow blogger The Random Path. She discusses how parents can make themselves crazy […]
I’m only a Super Mom with the help of my side kick, Coffee. The evil underlord, Sleep Deprivation, has been hot on my heels lately. (Yea…I’m a Super Dork too apparently!)
-Michelle
I can relate to all of it! I cannot function without coffee 🙂 And yes, Sleep Deprivation is an evil underlord!