Supermom Syndrome

Supermom Syndrome is quite common, especially among younger mothers. Some classic signs that you might be a victim of Supermom Syndrome include:

• You’re plotting what delectable meal you might prepare for your child’s next class party (which isn’t for another three months).
• You spend weeks creating a special gift for your child’s teacher.
• You bake a chocolate chip cookie cake for your kid’s birthday, because that’s all he’s talked about for months. On the day of said child’s birthday, he pitches a fit because you didn’t buy him a Sponge Bob cake from the bakery. You promptly get on the phone and make a panicked call to see if the bakery can whip up a Sponge Bob cake on such short notice. You pay thirty extra bucks for the cake and drive 45 miles to get it.

Supermom Syndrome is also accompanied by:

• sweaty palms
• racing heartbeat
• anxiety
• feeling rushed all the time

Put a stop to it

The first step to recovery is realizing that there is no such thing as a Supermom. Despite what you may have been told, or believed up to this point, there truly is no Supermom. There is only Frazzled Mom, or Burned Out Mom, or Anxiety-Ridden Mom.

No mother is perfect. Neither are your kids (despite what you might think). Every mother only has twenty-four hours in one day, and six to eight of those are spent snoozing. So stop trying to fill every waking hour with tasks that enable you to wear your Supermom cape.

One of the biggest issues those with Supermom Syndrome deal with is feeling inferior to their peers. Let’s meet that fear head-on right now. The only thing you should worry yourself with is what is happening in your own home. Stop trying to measure up to or exceed other mothers. You’ll never achieve that. Forget about what other mothers are doing and simply do what you are capable of.

Supermom Syndrome Stoppers

If you still struggle with Supermom Syndrome—and let’s face it, we all struggle with S.S. from time to time—keep the following tips in mind to help put a stop to it again:

1. Your house doesn’t have to be spotless all the time.
2. Give yourself credit for being a good momma.
3. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.
4. You’re not perfect.
5. Your kids aren’t perfect.
6. The world won’t stop turning if you tell your child no.