Why do you think you deserve a break for being supermom?
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| Image by Amanda Loving Life Ü |
Whaaaat?!
Seriously?! O.O
I never knew that the word "supermom" and the phrase "deserves a break" could actually be combined in one sentence. Seriously! =) When I saw that question, the first thing that popped inside my head was, "Did my friend Superman ever asked for a "break" from his role?" I don't remember him wanting so. He never posted such in his Facebook status. And when he and I talked over some coffee at Starbucks at Serendra, as far as I could recall, he's happy with who he is. No matter how busy things could get. So am I. :)
Then a eureka moment happened. Like a light bulb blinking in the middle of a deserted, dark street. Being a Superman, or a Supermom, is not a role... it's a Lifestyle. It's a part of who I am as a person. It's like breathing, it's like water. I can't be anyone without air or H2O. I can't be anyone without being a mom.
But, what really makes a Supermom like me a "super"-mom? Could I already claim my Supermommyness just by being busy and having so much responsibilities? Nah. Busy-ness straightforwardly just goes along with responsibilities. Or, am I a Supermom already just by sacrificing so much for my kids? I don't think so either. Sacrifice is a part of life. We all sacrifice in different ways at par with the roles that we don in every area and space of our lives.
I remember so vividly until when I watched this commercial when I was young. It was when the camera panned for 3 seconds on a woman portraying to be Ms. Teodora Alonso and a kid portrying as the little Jose Rizal, and they were studying under a lamp. At that time I thought, this woman had 11 children! But then she managed to study with all of her kids, while wearing a Maria Clara 'gown', laundering clothes without washing machine, ironed all of them with an iron made of charcoal, cooked, cleaned, and still by the end of the day managed to raise a National Hero?
What a balancing act.
Ms. Teodora Alonso became one of my heroes since then. Yes. We all have our own heroes don't we? And thus, I am now a woman who isn't just busy, but a woman whose top priority is her God, her husband, and her children. I am a mom who shares to her kids my husbands and my own merged set of principles in a manner understandable and fun. I discipline my children with gentless but firmness and consistency to the point now that my just turned 7 yo son knows so well how to eat vegetables by his own volition, knows how to clean up the table after he has eaten his meals, fixes his toys after playing with them, fixes his bed, and does his homework within a time frame all without being told. But yeah, from time to time a reminder is helpful. But my sons are never of high maintenance. Above all that he exemplifies to everyone that he's a respectful and adorable kid who still knows how to "Bless" (mag-mano, ask for blessing)the Filipino way. All of those things he could do by now with just supervision from me. Because on a daily basis, I train them.
So apart from being a Superwife, a Superfriend, a Supergranddaughter, a Super-nightshift-employee, and a Supermom I, also on a daily basis, make sure that by example I show my kids that I make the most out of each moment. I teach them thru my actions that this life is not just about showing off to people how good one's life is. Excellence doesn't have anything to do with reputation, but what's most important is who we are inside. Are we honest; both in ourselves and with others? Do we live with integrity all the time? Do we speak with calmness and gentleness or are we always demanding our way towards something? Are we complainers or are we solution-seekers?
Are we true within ourselves that we find happiness in everything that we do, in every situation that we are in? I show by example that we could always leave other people better than how we have found them. I show them that loving books also mean exploring the world and that the world is way more than PSPs and digital technologies. Our weekends are filled with going around the village and discovering new things and experiences. Even with just interacting and playing with other kids is already important. We do our own little "science" experiments, and not to mention, now that my firstborn has turned 7, we're gonna do carpentery too!
I want my kids to live independently and resourcefully that when they grow up they will realize within themselves that they're filled up with knowledge, skills, and talents they wouldn't really need material things to make themselves feel better.
I show them that the world is about the stars, the moons, the galaxies, the Universe, the flowers, the bees, the dogs, the cats, the air, the trees... the Earth.
I am actually Mother Earth. She's gentle but tough. She's calm but if tested, could cook up a nasty storm. He. He. He.
And of course, in between those things there's my daily yoga, my advocacy for my family to eat healthy meals filled with vegetables and resort to white meat instead, and teaching other people to be better. And happier. Ü
We all learn by having fun. So I always keep the "fun" factor and the craziness, and the weirdness with our experiences.
So... No, thanks but no thanks. I wouldn't want to break-away from this role that has taught me to be this amazing person I am now.
But!
I can definitely squeeze in a schedule for a "Supermom Me Time." Ha! Ha! Ha! Like I said, being a Supermom, it may be a role, but it's a role that I always wear wherever I am. Just like my friend there, Superman.
A little TREAT for someone like me will definitely go a long way. :)
I am a supermom, @Amanda Loving Life!
