Scene 27: The Superhero

Find all of my 31 Moments of Motherhood posts here.

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[Lights come up on an empty stage. A woman runs across the stage, carrying a green necklace, then runs back the other direction, carrying a library book. She runs back on stage again, stopping at center stage to catch her breath. She is wearing street clothes, other than the red silk cape around her neck, with an emblazoned “M” on it.]

Me

[Breathing hard.] “Whew! I think I need to catch my breath!”

Me

“I am on ‘superhero duty’ today, if you couldn’t tell by my fabulous cape.”

[Listens.]

Me

“What’s superhero duty? Well, as you know, all moms are superheroes, and some days…most days…we are called into action to help save the day for our kids.”

“Today, that meant dashing back up to school to bring my daughter a green necklace on St. Patrick’s Day, so that she wouldn’t get pinched. And running her library book up to her so that she could check out a new one.”

[Strikes a superhero pose.]

Me

“We are the super heroes who operate mostly in the shadows. We make birthday treats until midnight and track down missing blankies before bedtime. We painstakingly create sheep costumes for the school Christmas program and track down just the right teacher gifts. We make lunches and fill out school paperwork and drive back and forth to dance class and birthday parties and soccer practice. We are the first one up in the morning and the last one to bed, and there are always clothes to fold and toilets to clean. We survive on caffeine and social media, and we have to act like we have eight hands and six feet and eyes in the back of our heads.”

[Dropping out of the pose.]

Me

“But then sometimes our kids notice us, and we are able to step out of the shadowy darkness. Usually when we least expect it…in the middle of a car ride or during a family dinner, they bring up a story…’Remember when you ran into the library with your running clothes on so that I could have my library book? Or when you brought me that green necklace so that I wouldn’t get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day? You saved the day, Mom.'”

[Pointing at the audience.]

Me

“You don’t become a super hero for the accolades, but that is straight up super hero fuel…injected right into the heart.”

[Hears something offstage.]

Me

“Duty calls.”

[Grins…and runs offstage. Lights down.]