Is it a bird, is it a plane, no it’s me… I’m Superwoman

Many moons ago, my little boy said to me “mummy, are you really Superwoman”?

This happened because he’d reached the age where he wanted to know the answer to everything and very often, one answer wasn’t good enough so he followed his question up with another question which usually involved the word “why”. Sometimes, Daniel would ask me to do something and I would say I can’t do that right now. He would then say why not. I would reply I’m busy and he would often say but why are you busy and I would reply I’m Superwoman and Superwoman is always busy.

One day, we were sitting in the ante-natal clinic and Daniel was flicking through a comic, he couldn’t read, but enjoyed the pictures and then he saw a picture of Superman. He then turned to me and said in the crowded clinic, in a very loud, clear and concise voice for all the world to hear MUMMY, ARE YOU REALLY SUPERWOMAN? All the women in the clinic looked at me in wide-eyed wonder, with baited breath, waiting for my answer and I looked at little Daniel and said YES, OF COURSE I AM and kissed his forehead… all the while thinking is this child crazy, I can’t take him anywhere with his brazen big mouth! I’d have preferred if he said mummy, I’ve done a bottom burp.

I think we amused a few of the women sitting in the clinic, but my initial embarrassment left me when Daniel sat on my knee proud. Proud that his mummy was Superwoman.

But thinking about who I was and what I stood for, I knew I was Superwoman and I meant it. After all, I was sitting in a clinic with my son who wasn’t yet 2 and what was I waiting for? A pre-natal check-up because I was expecting baby number two. I was still working full time and I had a home to run. I did all the washing, cooking, ironing, cleaning, driving around and child-rearing. I don’t do all that crap anymore but I was loyal to the iron and Mr Sheen back then.

On top of that I still had my own personal ambitions, demons and a long, difficult and bumpy road ahead of me, but I’m a Superwoman and I’m still a Superwoman. We’re no work of fiction!

So I wear my S on my chest with pride and the only reason why I bought my Superwoman t-shirt in the first place was to remind me of the day that I honestly believed it for the very first time when I told my son yes, I am Superwoman.