Lessons From Myra: Confessions of a Supermom

‘Supermom’ is a highly underrated word. More of a joke for the opposite sex, but a word, I am sure, all women secretly dig. In my quest to be this superlative version of myself I drove out the other day... baby in tow.  To think of it, we have so much in our favour today: Baby car seats, strollers, feeding and changing spaces... yet every outing with a baby on your own could be an adventure. You never know what is to happen next. It can be argued that the same applies when one is single. But after a baby our hearts are walking outside our bodies. One can never be sure enough.

The day advanced with one disaster after another. An unexpected traffic can cause chaos inside the car. A missed appointment can cause riot in the waiting room. An intensive brain storming session can cause feedings and burpings to be pushed into the background. A long drawn meeting can cause weary young patience to run thin. A hungry belly can cry the loudest. Closed spaces can break patience thresholds and cause indefinite unprecedented need for clinging on.

 And so I was driving back with an empty baby car seat. I had the baby on my lap. What do they say about mothers breaking traffic rules?  I google at a red light. I pass a traffic cop picket. Unclear laws it seems.

I reached home with a baby sleeping and self assurance trembling. I leave my parking lights on in my hurry (which kills the car battery). Later have a heart attack when I fail to locate my credit card in my purse (which was there all along). By nightfall I was a scatter brain.

Of course all hell had not broken loose. But the unraveling of a mother happens slowly through the sight of her child at unease. The day impressed upon me the need to enlist help. For to be a supermom the basic criterion is to keep the kid happy. The more unhappy they are, the more you will fail at being your optimum self. Also, hold on. Hold on to everything that defined you... and to that head on your shoulder. Don’t give up on working just yet… or on yourself.

 In other news, the title of ‘supermom’ remains ever elusive.

Lessons from Myra #3: With greater responsibility comes greater patience and endurance.