The Adventures of Super Mom: A Day in the Life

Photo credt: tshirtdesignblog.com

Have you ever noticed that in leui of becoming Super Mom  you always run into Super-tired Mom and Super-stressed Mom along the way? When your schedule consists of way-too-early wake up, lunch spent doing work for home, and a to-do list long enough to reach the front door from your drive-way, it seems that stress becomes an inevitable factor in the equation.

I have days that are simple, easy, and care-free. I go to work, do my job, and come home to a semi-clean house and can relax for more than 20 seconds. But, (yes, I said but) there are days when I wake up 20 minutes late just to find a voicemail on my phone asking me to come in a half-hour early. I jump in the shower to realize I fell asleep last night before I washed towels. I go to get dressed as I realize all of my clothes are in the dryer -- that I forgot to turn on. I run to dress my child just to learn that he's discovered the baby lotion and will now need his hair washed -- AGAIN.  Drop my lunch in the driveway where it is devoured by the neighbor's dog. Become 15 more minutes late when I notice my gas light has come on and I have to stop but not until after I turn around and drive back home because I left the diaper bag sitting on the couch. And please do not fail to realize that this is all between the hours of 6:30AM and 7:30AM. Shall I continue to the oncoming hours?

Why is that the phrase, "When it rains, it pours," always seems to pop into my head when I'm having one of those days. Occasionally, it gets to the point where I refuse to touch another object in fear that it will shatter in pieces or explode in my face. I have to consistently keep reminding myself that, yes, when it rains, it does indeed pour; but also that there is always a rainbow after the storm. Regardless of the people or things that manage to bring me down in a day's time, I still come home to my family. I am healthy. My family is healthy. We are happy. But the problem: Super Mom is super tired.

There are times when I can't help but envy -- or despise, depending upon my mood -- childless people. It isn't that I'm jealous of their lack of responsibility, but that I am angry at their constant complaints of being "so tired" and "so busy". Wait a second, you mean to tell me YOU are so tired?!? I work full-time, with a child and husband to care for, full-time college courses to do, housework and laundry to tend to, dinners to cook, but YOU are busy?! Please, excuse me while I let my bitterness and tiredness overcome me. Is it wrong of me to just want someone to acknowledge how busy I am? How tired I am? To offer a helping hand? Of course not.

Photo credit: buyandsellhair.com

Sometimes I wish I was octo-mom, and no I do not  mean that I wish I had eight babies! I mean eight arms. Eight hands to help me juggle all the craziness of my life. This would be appropriate, don't you think? (See photo to the right). Let us examine this photo together. Mother, six hands, one baby, cleaning, cooking, walking dog, and cell phone. Even with enough arms to do all these things at once, this mom is still super tired.  You can simply tell by the look that the artist has depicted by her facial expression. She's exhausted. She's stressed. She is tired! I feel like I can't stress this word enough.

What does is take for a busy mama to make everyone around her realize how busy and how tired she is? I am still struggling to find answers to this. Once I do, you will surely be hearing back from me.


FACT: Busy moms need to breathe. Really, try it next time when you're in the midst of a sticky situation!