Be a Supermom!

 For some reason, my kids who are 23, 18, 17, and 14, could care less about any achievements I have had that don't affect them.  None of them ever asked to see pictures of me when I was 17 and the homecoming queen at my Christian school (one time seemed to be enough).  Never once have they inquired about why I was Who's Who in college.  They don't seem too impressed that when I stopped teaching, I got a plaque for being an outstanding teacher. You might think that my kids are hard to impress, until I tell you...

I did James' taxes, and he got a good chunk of money back.  He was mighty impressed!

When we were quizzing each other on Bible trivia the other day, one of the kids said, "You're doing a great job, mom! You really know your Bible!"

Keith got a new book and has been reading it. I was interested in the book, so yesterday I spent some time reading Keith's book. He came into the living room and said, "How far are you, mom?"
     I answered, "Chapter 9."
     His eye widened.  "How do you read so fast?"
     "I've had lots of practice," I responded.
     He smiled and looked proud of me.

A few years ago when James bought a video game called Medal of Honor. Four of us could play at a time, so we would take turns playing as a family.  That was a great game, and I even won quite a few times.  The boys were so proud that THEIR mom played video games and was actually good!

My daughter and I have always had great talks about everything under the sun. Just recently she said to me, "I'm so glad I have you to talk to."

When I made dinner last night, I used a cheaper product, and it really bugged me that the outcome didn't taste like I wanted it too, but as we ate, everyone kept saying, "This is really good!" and they all thanked me for the great meal.

Last week, the opening season for the Cubs was on T.V.  William is a huge Cub's fan, so I let him finish his school work early and watch the game. He was so happy and thanked me for letting him watch a ball game during regularly scheduled school time.

A couple of days ago, I cut Jessica's hair for her.  She has only ever had a salon cut once in her life.  When I was finishing up, she said, "I don't know what I will do about getting hair cuts when I get married one day."
     "Well, I guess your husband will have to cough up the money for real haircuts," I said.
     "I don't mean that--I just mean I know how to explain to you what I want, and you understand. I don't know if I can do that with someone else," she elaborated.  I took it as a compliment.

I know this is gross, but here it goes anyhow.  William called me into the room where he was watching another ball game.  "Mom, Max threw up in four spots. I can't tell what it is," he informed me with watering eyes. Instead of chewing on a beef bone, Max our dog had actually ingested quite a bit of the bone particles.
     I wasn't thrilled, but I had  done this a few times, and I had seen worse messes.  I got some paper towel and swiped up the nasty mess quickly.
    William looked grateful and said, "You really are a mom!"  I knew what he meant. Although he didn't say it in words, what he meant was that I'm a Supermom.

Although my kids are proud of me for accomplishments that I have had, if those accomplishments don't really affect their personal lives, they won't go around thank me for becoming homecoming queen in 1982 or bragging on me for getting second place on a writing project I did in high school. What really matters is what I am able to do with them and for them on a dad to day basis.  What makes me a Supermom in their sight?  Cleaning up dog barf; making a favorite meal; talking about issues that are important to them; taking part in the things they enjoy.  It really is that simple. In fact, it looks to me like any mom can be a Supermom!