I know that sometimes Moms get tired of having to do (or feel like they are having to do) everything for everyone. Children believe we know everything and can solve everything. I'm not sure if that's a compliment to our natural prowess or if they're just being too lazy to figure it out themselves.
I had two recent such "SuperMom" situations.
One of my boys collected some shells when we were at the ocean last spring. This wasn't a moderate I'll-grab-a-couple-of-shells-to-throw-in-my-drawer sampling. He filled four quart-sized cups! They got left in a cubbyhole of the RV for months and after they were discovered he left them on the porch for several weeks. I told him Monday to put them away or I'd throw them away. A towel was laid on a work table and each shell was washed in a bowl and laid out to dry. After two days on the table my ultimatum was repeated.
What I haven't told you is that back on the beach I asked--"What are you going to do with all of those? Why don't you just take home a few of your favorites?" So, I don't really know what he was thinking when he came to me yesterday as I warned--"Put them away or I'll throw them away," asking, (in one of those accusatory this-is-your-fault tones), "But what am I going to do with them?" Hmmm, seems I covered that, why don't you try 'put them away or throw them away'.
Next was a call I received from a child-driver stranded without a working vehicle key. There had already been discussions between that child and the possessor of the working key about whether or not the spare key worked. There had also been instruction (unheeded) from the father to go out and test the key.
So what happened? Twenty minutes before that driver had to be somewhere I got a call--"Mom the key doesn't work." I was 30 miles away with the van in the shop for the day. Really? How was I the best solution to this problem?
But, my favorite Mom-can-fix-it story came several years ago when I was sick with the flu. I was in my bedroom resting while the family ate supper and my then-five-year-old got up from the table, came into my room, and asked, "Mom can you get me some more, please?"
So, us Moms can get burdened with feeling overworked and used, or we can take it for what it is--we are proven super heroes in the eyes of our children!
Note: If you are one of my children, you need not respond and burst my bubble. Thanks!
3 comments:
I would have responded earlier, but my cape got stuck in the minivan door! I loved this blog... the only thing I have over your obvious powers is that I must seem "all knowing" I am expected to know the answers to any question. (Such as... How do you think Tommy is feeling? He was with his dad in Kalamazoo on a CubScout outing and had had tummy trouble according to a phone call two hours earlier.)
Loved it...Lynn
:) Are we super hero wives as well? My husband assumes that I will know where everything is when he doesn't have a clue...and most of the time I do!:)
Lynn, that is so funny! I get a lot of what "do you think" questions. I keep trying to tell them, "What difference does it make WHAT I think? I don't KNOW!"
Keelie, my favorite is when your answer is something like, "Downstairs, in the pantry, west wall, in the middle, on the waist high shelf, next to the light bulbs." Or something like that. I am often amazed at how many random details my brain actually files away! And why is it just my brain? We've been making popcorn almost every Sunday night for over 20 years and last night I still got the question, "Is it 1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups?" I just said, "Yes", but later thought through the question and realized it's 1/2 to 2. I'm tired of being the home-google.
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