Superhero

Recently the kids school had themed days to celebrate homecoming. One day the theme was superheros.  They got to wear superhero attire to school.  Bo wore a cape and Zeke wore a power rangers costumer.  I asked if a Power Ranger is a superhero. Bo said yes, he saves the world.  I jokingly said, with one ninja move at a time. Bo said “no”.  I asked “2 ninja moves at time?” He said “no”.  I asked, “5 ninja moves at a time?”  He did some ninja moves as if to count them and said, “Yes”.

Moms are kind of like superheros.  We save the world one ninja move at a time. With one hand we wipe a kid’s face, with another hand we stir food on the stove, then we quickly swing around and stop one kid from hitting the other, pivot back to cooking, run to the fridge and back, sign off on our kids homework, and somehow get the kids seated at the table with a fully prepared meal.  Ok, we may not save the world, but we sure know how to save dinnertime.

Everything we do as moms shows others what our values are.  You may homeschool, you may send you child to private school, or your kids might go to a public school.  You may sit down with your kids afterschool to help them with homework or you may hire a tutor to.  You might spend more time on the internet than reading to your kids (yep I’m so guilty of that one).

Your kids, and others, see the choices you make everyday about how you will spend your time.  One morning last week as I was exercising Caleb came in the room to talk to me. He had been up for a while and had already known Dean was exercising downstairs (yes this message applies to dads too, so sub mom for dad whenever necessary).  Score one for mom and dad, we just taught Caleb exercise and healthy choices are important.

The other day Caleb was watching over my shoulder while I was on the computer. He saw me working on something for church. He was really impressed and mentioned how cool it was that I was updating the church webpage. Score 2 for mom, I taught Caleb women can have technology skills and that it’s cool to volunteer your time for ministry.

The kids see me read my textbooks for school and work on homework. I hope this teaches them the value of a good education, but also that if you want it you need to work hard to get it.

The kids see their mom and dad hugging and kissing.  I know some parents who don’t show affection in front of their kids, or well anyone.  I want my kids to know that marriage is important. I want them to know that they need to show their spouse that they are cared for and loved, by holding hands, kissing, and sometimes just talking to each other.  We also fight in front of our kids sometimes. yep, we fight.  All good couples do.  Not a lot, but when we do we don’t try to hide it and we make sure the kids know it’s okay for us to disagree.

The point is, everything you do impacts someone else.  It might be your kids, it might be your neighbor, spouse, a friend, or co-worker. Whether you know it or not, others are looking to you for guidance on how to be a better mom (or dad), spouse, friend, co-worker, volunteer, etc.

What do your actions (or inaction) say to others around you? Do your actions accurately reflect your values? Do others think you are a superhero or do they think you need someone to save you?  

What small changes can you make today that will help your values align with how you spend your time?  This could mean getting off of facebook and talking to your spouse, putting down that brownie and going for a walk, or reading the Bible instead of watching tv.

How can you be a superhero that others look to for inspiration and help?

Do you know someone who is a superhero? Tell them how their actions and words have helped rescue you.  Chances are they don’t even know they are a superhero.  They deserve your encouragement and thanks for all they do for others.