In a ragged cape and rubber band mask, no shoes and muddy feet- they are my heroes. Day after day they save me.
Oh, it’s not just the good deeds I see them do- though that certainly brings a smile to my face. I loved when they taught their little sister to slide down the big slide. I’m gratified when my oldest son shares a toy with my middle son. But these are just the small ways these super heroes bring good to our fair home.
Here’s the truth about these kids of mine- they’ve saved me from myself.
When I would wallow in a puddle of self-centeredness they’ve pulled me out and forced me to look outside myself. These super heroes never stop asking me to go deeper. Some days I want to give in and give up – “Who cares, I’m TIRED!! And boy heck I am NOT perfect!”
And you know what? These amazing guys show me, “You don’t have to be perfect mama. I will forgive you.” “You can be tired mama, I still love you.” “I just want to be with you.”
When I think I have nothing left to give, they’ve shown me that I have more strength than I first believed. On those days when I am worn ragged, when they ask just one more thing from me- it is then that they do their heroic work. They need me to put aside my exhaustion and help them and I find a deeper strength than I ever knew I had.
When I’ve started to feel that I am a misery of a human being- angry and unlovable, they’ve shown me that I need to forgive myself so that we can move forward. A super hero has a big heart. A super hero, at the end of a long day, when he has been yelled at for simply being a kid will still melt into a hug. A super hero shows me how to forgive myself when I don’t feel up to the task.
Who else in my life will give me so many opportunities to grow? Who else will MOTIVATE me to grow the way these kids do?
Who else in my life will forgive me over and over and over so that I can try again?
I am grateful for the welcoming hugs and the earnest Super Hero poses to remind me that in this world with all of its anger and hatred, we still exist in a world filled with super heroes- a world of children ready to show us hope and love and kindness if we will only let them save us. We are surrounded by these small heroes calling us towards our better selves.
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Look on my Fb page for a beautiful story about a little one saving his mommy.
Thanks for this post; I’ll be honest I shed a few tears. I think that we all have ‘those days’ and this post offers a lot of encouragement to keep swimming even when we feel like we’re drowning. And as soon as they wake from naps, I’m going to give my super hero and super princess the extra squeeze that I need
Beautiful, powerful, true.
This is a heartwarming post and a great reminder of the beauty of parenthood. I got teary too.
this is just beautiful. plain and simple…
Alissa- you do it all the time- Very touching- And very true. Since having kids five years ago, my facebook “about” has simply said, “Our kids have made us better versions of ourselves.” And that is everything I could say- Great post-
Great post! My children really did save me, and this post sums up why !
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