Superhero, with a side of evil

Moms are superhero's. The phrase is uttered so much that is practically a cliche. But did you know that we don't always use our powers for good? Apparently we can be quite evil and deceitful as well.

I discovered this last week when I RUINED my daughter's day with my mere presence and was deemed untrustworthy by my son. It was a banner evening for mom to be sure.

It all began so innocently (as it always does). The kids had gotten off the bus, snacks had been eaten, school worked finished, even dinner consumed with few feathers ruffled.

We all got to swimming lessons, the kids took part in said lessons and were even able to enjoy a bit of the hot tub after to warm up. But see, there - there is where we got greedy. After the kids didn't listen to dad when they were told to get out of the hot tub and DID NOT, scolding, protesting and whimpering occurred all the way to the locker rooms.

My oldest then proceeded to yell at me that I WAS NOT to take her clothes out of the bag and give them to her to put on. However, I already HAD taken them out I did not see the need to put them back just so she could talk them out again. It made perfect sense to me a 35-year-old but to a seven-year-old this was the most illogical thing I could have said (right up there with "before you get another toy out, why don't you put this one away first").

And here comes the battle of wills. She is refusing to put her clothes on until I put them back in the bag so she and can them out and I am refusing to put them back in the bag because ... it doesn't matter why because I AM THE MOM, DAMNIT!

Yelling ensues - by her not me. I have decided to not engage her and just wait for her to calm down. Maybe she will even apologize .... If I were holding my breath I would have passed out a LONG time ago!

More nastiness on her part all the way to car (including her running away from me and then me making her hold my hand until she got in the car. Hey, I'm not above humiliation).

On the drive home, me fuming in the front seat, she sniffling in the back (and the younger two brown-nosing like crazy in the seats between), my husband tries to calmly find the source of this horrible behavior. Surely mom taking you clothes out of a bag is not worth all this?

After a bit of coaxing she says is "I was having the best day until I got home and mom ruined it."

What had I done? I racked my brain. I hadn't been upset with her, demanded anything of her, I barely even talked to her when she got off the bus since I learned (the heard way) that she doesn't like to talk about her day when she gets home from school. I ruined her day?

Sticks and stones right? She's only seven, she doesn't really know what she's saying. Well, moms may be superheros, but we are also humans and that sentence felt like a punch in the gut. Apparently all that superhero-ness was not enough to cover up the evilness that was my mere presence in my own home.

Along with ruining lives by simply being ourselves, "superhero moms" along show their evil side by being deceitful and deliberately trying to get their kids in trouble.

After we got home from swimming lessons I decided to turn my attention and energy to my two younger children - you know the ones who actually LIKE me. After my son was in bed I heard him crying and carrying on in his room. I went in to investigate. (A little pretext: the next day was Halloween and his class was dressing up as their favorite storybook characters.) He was going as Curious George. All of that was fine except for one thing. His costume had a hood with Curious George's face on it and he was told that he could not wear it at school.

Now, I knew he could. I had talked to his teacher about the costume and everything was fine. I think he was confused with the hood he was wearing and masks - which were not allowed to be worn. I tried to explain the difference to him. He did not agree with me. I tried to explain that without the hood no one would know he was Curious George, He still protested. I told him that I talked to his teacher and she said it was ok to wear. He still was CERTAIN that he could not wear it. I finally told him "yes, you can wear it. Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't" he said.

No? What the what? No? Why would he think I would lie to him? I mean sure, we've all lied to our kids (McDonald's is closed, I don't know why the lights are on; the cute little elf reports back to Santa EVERY night, you better be good; I have no idea where the rest of your Halloween candy went) but a deliberate lie that he knows would get him in trouble? I wouldn't do that.

Must be the evilness creeping out again.

Shocking as it may be, I was right about the costume. My husband was at the Halloween parade the school had and has photographic evidence. The punk even smiled and waved as the picture was taken - the little stinker ...

After all that drama do you think he came home and said "you were right mom, I could wear my costume." Noooo .....

I guess being a superhero (with a evil side) is a pretty thankless job.

I would sure thank YOU for clicking in the Top Mommy  Blog logo at the top and voting for me!