Wear Your Motherhood Capes Proudly

By definition, a superhero is an exceptionally skillful or successful person.  We, as a society, take it to mean anyone who steps up and does what is needed in times of adversity or emergency.  Superheroes can be found in all walks of life.  They don’t have to be just limited to medical professionals, the soldier, or emergency responders.   While these people are without a doubt superheroes, even the everyday parent can be considered a superhero.

Don’t believe me?  Ask their kid who is the best at making their favorite meal, or who helps them when they are sick.  Ask them who chases the monsters away when they are afraid.  To our children, we are superheroes, and we need to wear that cape proudly.

We aren’t perfect.  We can’t fly and do not have superhuman strength.  Yet, to our children, we are the people they look up to.  They know that when there are problems in their lives, it is us that they can count on.  It is us who supports them through their endeavors and provides them with the love they need.

Yet, we as parents feel like failures or doubt our own worth.  We don’t think about all the ways we have been amazing, but we look at the few ways that we have failed, and we think that describes our parenting as a whole.  We doubt our abilities.  We let the insecurities that we have infiltrate our thoughts and our confidence. 

Being a good parent isn’t about being perfect.  That’s unrealistic.  Being a good parent means you show up every day.  It’s about realizing that there are times when you will fail but forgive yourself for it.  It means teaching your child that they can count on you but also providing with the ability to succeed on their own.  It’s about doing what is best for your child, regardless of what others think.

The parents who homeschool aren’t better or less than those who don’t.  They are just parenting differently.  They want what is best for their children, just like every parent does.  Parents who homeschool just happen to think that for their child, for their family, that happens at home rather than at a brick and mortar school building.  It isn’t a lack of confidence in the school system (in most cases) but understanding that the needs of their family is different. Again, doing what is best for their child.

We are all doing our best.  We are all making choices that we think is what our children need.  We are all superheroes, going above and beyond.  To the homeschool parent who spends hours every day working on their child’s education–wear your superhero cape proudly.  To the parents who are either struggling or thriving with distance learning during this pandemic–wear your superhero cape proudly.  To the parent who has children in traditional school and must meet the demands that entails–wear your superhero cape proudly.  We are all superheroes.

Joanna Yates – I am a 36 year old mom of 3 beautiful children. My husband and I adopted our 3 children from foster care. We live in Kentucky, but live to vacation anywhere with a beach. I taught public school for 12 years before stopping to homeschool my children. I am a Christian.