>She can bring home the bacon,
Fry it up in the pan,
Get the kids to soccer
In her perfect minivan…

She’s Super Mom, of course. Who else? Unappreciated, overworked, and unable to resist cleaning up after people, Super Mom gives us a peek inside our overachieving selves.
In the midst of myriad work-related crises and home repair, it was a relief to lose myself in Super Mom Saves the World by Melanie Lynne Hauser. Birdie Lee, a.k.a. Super Mom, has her heart in the right place. Saving the world as she knows it, her hometown of Astro Park, involves watching her unathletic son survive Little League baseball, helping her daughter find a prom dress to complement her newly pink-streaked hair, and fighting off a desperate pass by her ex-husband, all while helping the PTA compete with the local Shriners in the quest to raise funds. And that’s just in between shifts ridding the world of injustice!
I identify with Birdie when she’s cautiously teaching her daughter to drive and dealing with her son’s adolescence, an experience that even homebaked cookies doesn’t cure. Her discomfort with the transfer of funds from the arts to Astro Park’s new sports complex is all too real in many school districts. But at the same time, I have to laugh at her motherly reactions.
“Kelly Maria Lee, when I am done keeping the world safe for democracy, you are going to be grounded. Do you understand? You didn’t use your turn signals once!”
And as she and her family frantically separate for the final chase scene: “Be careful, don’t talk to strangers, and look both ways when you’re crossing the street!”
Gotta love it. She’s me, but in spandex, superhero cape, and high heels. Oh, yes, and minus the caffeine addiction.
When I’m done cleaning up rabbit fur (darn those adorable bunnies) with my cool Swiffer duster, I’ll bake some cookies for my oh-so-grown-up children and sit down with a good book. No Apron of Anticipation for me: just the anticipation of a good story that I can read and reread.
Supermoms of the world, take a break and read Super Mom Saves the World. You deserve it.