"an exemplary mother; also : a woman who performs the
traditional duties of housekeeping and child-rearing while also having a
full-time job"
I'm very opposed to the Merriam-Webster definition of "supermom". What a ridiculous definition. I didn't understand what they meant by "child-rearing" so I looked it up in their dictionary. (I happen to love m-w.com just not this definition.) It wasn't there. So I looked up "rearing" and found the following:
"to take care of (a young person or animal)"
My interpretation of the Merriam-Webster definition of "supermom": If you want to be a supermom, your house must sparkle, meals must be restaurant quality, your budget flawless, and always have the laundry caught up. You know all of your children's needs and perfectly meet them. On top of that, you work a full-time job.
You work a full-time job. So you can't be a supermom unless you work a full-time job? So, stay-at-home-moms can't be supermoms? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. I work a full-time job and very clearly see the beauty of being a stay-at-home-mom. I'll write about that some other day. The point today is that I know so many supermoms who didn't/don't work a full-time job outside the home. BEING A MOM IS A FULL-TIME JOB. My mom was a stay-at-home-mom and is a supermom for sure.
Next, as any supermom knows, each kid is different. Very different. And they don't come with individualized instruction manuals. I've read a few beginning parenting books that teach you the basics of the first few years of life. I found them useful in many ways. I also appreciated the fact that the ones I read clearly stated that each child is different and will do different things. With all of this in mind, what mom ever perfectly meets the needs of their children? One of the hardest thing about parenting is that it's a bit trial-and-error.
Finally, is there really a mom out there who is able to do all of that AND keep up with the housework?
I am a supermom. My house is messy most
days. We had cereal and raisins for lunch today which met my current efforts to
ensure my family eats a fruit or vegetable with every meal. I budget. I try to
stick with it. But somehow something always messes it up. Car breaks down. Kids
grow and don't fit their clothes anymore. Single mom date night with the
bookstore. In my house, washing laundry is mandatory. Putting away laundry
happens on the miraculous occasion that everything else deemed more essential
gets done. This week I learned how to not get grossed out by poopy toddler
underwear but to respond in an appropriate manner. (What to do when grossed out
while potty-training wasn't covered in the books I read. Or maybe I missed
it...) My full-time job? Well, I try. Fortunately, my students are as forgiving
as my children. Because kids are the ones who really know what makes a mom a
supermom.
With that, here's my definition of a "supermom":
A mother who's gives her whole heart to mothering. Not always visible on the surface but felt through the heart of her children and any other children she mothers.
In defense of Merriam-Webster, I think that their definition is often what most people think of when they think of "supermoms". Which is sad.
[Note: Although I talk about "supermom", any of these things apply to "superdads" as well. My definition of a "superdad":
"A father who's gives his whole heart to fathering. Not always visible on the surface but felt through the heart of his children and any other children he fathers."
See, parenting has little to do with the little things in life which vary from person to person adn situtation to situation. Parenting has to do with the big things. The important things like children.
Merriam-Webster didn't have a definition for "superdad"...]
(The image was adapted from vectortemplates.com. Very appreciative of their superman logos.)
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