Searching for the elusive Supermum

Ever since I was a young girl one thing I’ve wanted to be is a mum.   The media and society portray images that we are led to believe are the ‘perfect mum’, you know the ones, immaculate house, all home cooked meals, multitasking with ease.    But this can be far from the reality of motherhood yet we constantly strive to achieve it. 

Like most parents I want my children to have a fantastic childhood filled with great memories.  For them to remember coming home to a smiling mum with home-baked goodies waiting for them and a spotless house.   

In an ideal world I would love to have a house set in a small amount of land where the children could build dens, a little stream maybe on the boundary.  Chickens, maybe some ducks and a pig would be great.  Space for me to finally grow my own vegetables and wild flowers growing in the borders.  A lovely big kitchen where I could bake and cook for the family daily with the children having space to sit and work alongside me and a spotless house.  Sounds idyllic doesn’t it…

The reality is a different story, most days I’m exhausted, juggling children, home and work.  What people don’t see behind closed doors is that being Supermum is something that doesn’t exist so it shocks me when people comment that I’m “Supermum”.   No one is perfect including me!  My house looks like a toys r us store at times with toys everywhere, dirty clothes piled in a basket waiting to be washed, another pile waiting to see the iron.  Add to that a pile of paperwork for my business in another corner!  

But guess what, none of this affects my children, they are well-mannered (at least I’m regularly told this) polite, healthy and  they have opportunities that many wouldn’t thanks to my blogging and something I am eternally grateful for.  Having four children sometimes makes doing even the simplest of things tiring and there are quite a few things I would dearly love to do with the children like teaching them to ride bikes, which I simply haven’t managed to get around to yet.  I feel sad about this fact but quite honestly unless days suddenly start having 72 hours in them or I can be in the position not to have to earn a wage and can function on two hours sleep without collapsing then they won’t. 

Being a mum, a parent is a difficult and often thankless job, we’re all super parents in our own rights and we need to remember this.  Parenthood doesn’t come with a manual, god knows it would be so much easier if it did but every child, every parent and every home is different.  We should be celebrating our uniqueness, our own strengths and yes weaknesses.  Treat everyday as a learning experience, one we embark on with both hands and with our children.  Learn from each other and grow together, laugh and enjoy every moment.  Lets stop chasing the elusive Supermum image …..

supermum

7 thoughts on “Searching for the elusive Supermum

  1. linda hobbis says:

    Well said. Particularly when there’s still one week of the school holidays left and my nerves are shredded!

  2. Kate ✚ says:

    I couldn’t agree more! Some days I feel like I have everything under control and others… not so much. But every day is a new one, and we’re all trying to do the very best we can for our little ones.

  3. Sarah says:

    Needed this reminder today, thank you! It’s the housework that suffers the most for me, it really gets me down, but I’m trying to remember that it’s not essential to have a spotless and tidy house…

  4. Claire says:

    So true! Like you, I’m always beating myself up for the things that they haven’t done yet. I agree, lets celebrate what we have achieved x

  5. This is such a great, honest post, very well said!
    I love the idea of your ideal world but I am pretty sure that will be something that I never, ever achieve!

  6. Ali says:

    This is so true! Parenting is so hard and we are all trying to be perfect when there is no ‘perfect’. We are doing the best we can and we should celebrate that!

  7. Ickle Pickle says:

    I learnt a long time ago that I can only do what I can do! After years of living with my ex partner who was a little OCD about the home, I nearly collapsed with the pressure, so now, I do what I want with no one to nag me! All mums are supermums! Kaz x

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