Superheroes Need Help, Too
Even superhero mothers.
My best friend is a superhero.
At least, she is to me.
She is the mother of three children, and she is a wife, a teacher, a wonderful cook, a daughter, a granddaughter, an aunt, a sister, and an incredible friend. She is a warrior for love, peace, and justice.
She is an empath.
I do not doubt that I’m missing other roles that she serves and things that she does and qualities that she possesses, but the bottom line is that she shows up for these roles daily, serving the ones she loves with grace, love, and heart.
I am constantly in awe of how she juggles her responsibilities. I am even more in awe of how she stands strong in her vulnerability too.
We have a text thread with two other friends of ours, and recently, she sent a meme from an account called Ramblin’ Mama that made us all chuckle. It said the following:
Everyone: Wow you’re superhuman!
Moms: What? No. Can you just hel —
And while it gave us a good chuckle, the meme stayed with me all day long.
How often do we praise our mothers for doing it all, when in fact, what we really should be doing is lending a hand? Or asking them how we can alleviate their stress? Or doing our best to try and take something off of their plate? Or looking for that thing that we’re searching for ourselves, instead of asking them to activate their maternal GPS and find it for us?
Sometimes, our mothers don’t need to hear how they are superheroes. They need you to help fold the laundry and prepare dinner, and coordinate carpools so that they can shower and finish the rest of their work in peace. Or go grocery shopping, or fill up the gas tank before you get into the car tomorrow morning, or put the dishes in the dishwasher. Inside the dishwasher — not the sink, or the counter beside the sink, but the dishwasher.
We should praise the ones we love. We should never hesitate to tell our friends and family members how much we appreciate them and how the little things they do to help us throughout the day are not something we take for granted. Words of affirmation and gratitude should flee our lips just as easily as we breathe.
But, in doing showering our mothers and caretakers with love and admiration, we have to make sure we don’t take them for granted, either. Saying that someone is amazing and that you’re in awe of all that they do is wonderful and needed — but it doesn’t replace lending a hand. Or listening to them vent. Or doing whatever it is that you’re able to do to help ease their stress.
Batman had Robin. Daredevil had Froggy. Iron Man had Rhodey, Jarvis, and Pepper.
So please, shower the superhero mothers that you know with all the praise in the world. Marvel at the way they seem to juggle it all — and stand in awe of how they show up without hesitation for you, and the ones you love, and the community in which you both find ourselves.
Then offer to help, too.
They might not take it, and that’s ok. But sometimes the act of offering is the thing that means the most.
