Not a Super Mom

Why can't we all be 'Super Moms'? I used to want to be one and lately, I just don't see the big deal. 

I am nowhere near a 'Super Mom'. I am probably the anti-'Super Mom'. I let Miranda watch too much TV and I spend too much time on my computer. I don't buy or feed organic food. I don't feel guilty when we stop at a McDonald's for lunch. I've let her have sips of soda, coffee and Adam even let her try his beer once. She hates soda and beer and sipping my coffee is a fun, very occasional treat. I own plastic sippy cups that I let her carry around all day. None of them are BPA-free (or if they are, I didn't buy them for that purpose.) I make her play her in her room alone for an hour or two every day. I call it her 'rest time', but really it's my rest time. I don't wipe her butt after every poop. I don't make her wash her hands after every bathroom trip. I expect things out of her that most moms of 3-year-olds probably don't.  I make her do chores and clean up after herself. I get frustrated with her easily when I sit down to teach her something. I sometimes get frustrated with her just because she's acting her age. Lately I've been blaming my lack of patience on the pregnancy hormones, but is it really? I don't know. I let her suck her thumb. I let her play with the dog, sometimes unsupervised. I don't always enjoy playing with her. My husband and I sometimes swear in front of her, we do try not too though.

The list goes on and on... Do any of these things make me a bad, terrible, horrible, no-good mom? I don't think so, but I'm sure there are people out there who think I'm a terrible, lazy, non-caring mother. There are some things that I do that I think do make me a 'Super Mom' that others wouldn't agree with. I once judged other moms, a lot, but I've learned since having Miranda that it just isn't fair. I try VERY hard not to judge another mom's parenting techniques. However, I feel that when a mom gloats that her kids don't watch TV or that she's never let her kids play on her cell phone or play any video games, that they're trying to make the mom's that do those things feel bad or guilty.

And to them I say, we can't all be 'Super Moms' and I don't think that we should all try to be.

My daughter is healthy, happy, fed, taken care of and she knows she's loved. I never hesitate to dole out the hugs and kisses. I tell her that I love her about a million times a day. I color with her and read to her frequently, as those are things I enjoy doing with her. She's smart and has a great vocabulary, despite the fact that I let her watch the 'oh-so-horrible' television! She's more independent than a lot of kids these days and pretty self-sufficient. She's polite and well-behaved when out in public.

I do admit though, that this blog post was hard for me to write out. I hate writing out my flaws and staring them right in the face. I know I'm not perfect, I don't pretend to be. Is that such a crime? What say you?