Moms are the ones who need capes.

Recently I rescued a little boy from the top of a climbing wall at the local park. His cape was hung up on the back side of the wall and he couldn’t get it over. His arms were draped over the wall behind him at odd angles. It was a frightening moment.

The incident was not, however, unexpected. I had witnessed the boy and his mother arguing about the need to take off the cape while he played. She said, “Take it off.” He said, “No.” It was obvious that she wanted to enjoy their time at the park so she let him have his way.

When I heard his cry for help, I was only about 20 feet away. Without hesitation I ran to him and said, “Don’t be scared. I am a mommy and I am going to get you down.” I lifted him high enough for the snag of the cape to release and his arms to fall down to me. Gently, I set him down so as to not scare him or invade his space too much. His poor mother was coming our way. She thanked me and said, “Wow, you were fast.” I told her it was no problem.

The boy still would not take off the cape. He ran and climbed up to the top of the playground. His cape caught on the slide as he slid downward. Another scary moment. His mama took the cape this time. He cried on the side of the playground until he decided it was better to play than pout.

As I packed up my own little villains, I walked past that poor mom. She thanked me again. I replied, “Moms are the ones who need capes.” She said, “You got that right.”

As parents we have to be “super,” but it is so hard sometimes.

When we are tired, hungry, or have to go to the bathroom, it is really difficult to wear that badge of courage on our chest. Moms (and dads) really are the ones who need capes.

It would be so great if a cape could be invented that allowed us to zoom around the house picking up all the toys and laundry. The ability to fly to the mail box or dumpster would be awesome. The secret pockets for keeping tissues and band-aids would be a must. A cape that could make us invisible long enough to go pee without interruption would be miraculous.

The trouble is capes for moms don’t really exist. We have to rely on the “super” that is already inside us.

We must remember that God chose us to raise those little villains so there must be something special about us. It is also necessary to remember that we are only human. Sometimes we are going to face our cryptonites of runny noses, temper tantrums, or puke. We have to remain strong and maybe call on our fellow “super” parents for help. Everybody needs a sidekick, once in a while. 😉

To all the super parents out there, you may not have a cape but you have the greatest power there is – love. Use that love to give you patience of steel and limitless compassion for those little villains in your life. You might not be able to fly, but you are totally capable of being a hero.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I really do want a cape with secret pockets for tissues, band-aids, and my stash of chocolate.