I Don’t Do It All

This week someone called me Superwoman.   Teaching full-time, writing books, speaking, and then returning home to try to be the best mother that I can be for my 4 (still) young children.  How do I do it all?  How do I find the time?   I am here to burst that illusion.  I am not Superwoman, nor do I ever want to be.  Because Superwoman was alone in her endeavor, mostly relying on her own skills to save the world.   Only once in a while, reaching out to others for help when the problem seemed insurmountable.  She thrived by herself; eager for the next challenge.

But behind me stands a very strong man, a man who saw more in me than I ever did.  A man who told me that I could not change the students, but I could change the way I taught.  I married Brandon 11 years ago and 11 years ago we decided to have a child.  It took us almost 3 years to fulfill that dream, but for the last 8 years I have watched as the man I love, has become an incredible father.

So when people ask me how I do it all, I quickly tell them that I don’t.  That I am not alone in this crazy adventure.  That at home I have the biggest supporter, the biggest motivator, the guy with the biggest heart, even if his sometimes quiet exterior doesn’t show it.  He shapes me, he shapes our children and I am so grateful that he said yes so many years ago to be a part of this crazy adventure.

I asked Oskar, this morning why he loves his Dad and Oskar answered, “Because he is so good.”  I asked him what he was good at.  Oskar answered, “At pouring lemonade…”  Not quite the answer I had expected, and yet perfect in my eyes.  Because that’s it, isn’t it?  It’s not just that Brandon is great at all of the big things, like taking care of us, or fixing things, or all of those other big things that dad’s are supposed to master.  It’s that he is great at the little things too; at putting band-aids on scrapes, reading aloud every night, singing along to Emily Arrow, and yes, at pouring lemonade.  Because those are the things that matter, maybe not to others, but to me, to our children.  Those are the reasons why I am so lucky.

So to the man who gave me the most important job in the world; thank you for seeing something in me when you agreed that perhaps having kids was after all in our future.  That perhaps raising a family together was a dream we should pursue.  That perhaps it was okay if our life got a little crazy, because at least it would mean that our house would be filled with love.  There is no one else I would want to share this journey with.  Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there that get to pour the lemonade.