Lifestyle

5 Reasons Why Mothers Are Still (And Always Will Be) Superwomen

by Deirdre McAndrew
Stocksy

Do you remember when you were in kindergarten and your mom seemed like your personal superwoman? You felt like the cool kid in class when she came in with cupcakes on your birthday.

You cried when she left for the night to go on a date with dad or with her friends and you were stuck with the dreaded babysitter (who ended up being cool... until bedtime).

It felt like the end of the world if she couldn't french braid your hair for picture day because she was too busy preparing breakfast and getting everyone off to school in a single piece.

The best days were cold Sundays, when the fireplace was ablaze and your favorite movie was playing. You were still small enough that you could cuddle on the couch, and she would pretend to watch your favorite movie when she was really napping after a weekend of basketball games and birthday parties.

This was a magical time and one we can all only hope to experience with our own daughters, who will look at us the same way we looked at our mothers.

Sadly, many of us spend the bulk of our adolescence embarrassed by our mothers. Whether she's dropping you off to your first day of high school in her pajamas or excessively “checking up” on you and your first boyfriend, it's a strained time in the relationship.

The worst part is these teenage feelings tend to taint our relationships with our mothers for years to come. Luckily, life is cyclical, and we will likely see our mothers in the same light as we once did. We realize our mothers won’t always be around, but they will always be our moms.

Young women must realize, appreciate and embrace their mothers' superwoman greatness:

She is our biggest and best critic.

She has been in our shoes. She has worn the awful dress to prom and gained the freshman 15 and will try to prevent these things from happening to you as kindly and slyly as possible. She means well when she tells you to stop snacking and take the dog for a walk.

If she won’t buy you something when you are back-to-school shopping, it most likely means whatever it is you “need” is hideous and won’t last half a year in your closet. Take the criticism; it is loving and honest.

Our mothers are right; boys are stupid.

If she tells you to move on, listen. She has had the loser boyfriend or the crush she spent all of junior high ogling, despite the fact that he didn’t even know her name. You can pull the “you don’t understand" card, but she does.

If, for whatever reason, you decide not to listen to her oh-so-wise dating advice, do not feel stupid because she will be there for you no matter what. She’ll wipe your tears, rub your back and split the pint of ice cream with you.

You are so important to her.

Although it is bittersweet for her to watch you pack up and go to college, it’s probably harder than you realize.

Make it a routine to call her and invite her to visit for a weekend. Make your friends her friends and let her feel as involved in your life as when she was the head of the PTA in your elementary school. Nothing makes a mom happier than spending quality time with her daughter.

Confide in your mom even when you want to talk to no one.

If you are having a mental breakdown, do not turn off your phone and lock yourself in your room. Call your mom to tell her what's up — not to take it out her, but to get insight from her. She’s hit her rock bottom, and she’s reached her peak; she gets it.

Your mom has known you for your whole life and probably knows you better than you know yourself. Let her be there; let her guide you.

You are her.

It is inevitable that, in many ways, we will all be similar to our moms. Even if you identify as a daddy’s girl, you will have some sort of attribute that your mother gave you, and people will undoubtedly see it. Cherish this reality and regard it as something to bring you two closer.

The best compliment you will receive in your life is that you are like your mother.

Photo Courtesy: We Heart It