My Mom Is an Unexpected Superhero

As I was growing up I would see Spider-man, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, along with other superheroes on television doing what they do best, which is fighting crime. I remember as a little kid I would brag about all these superheroes and I used to tell people I wanted to be just like all of them when I grew up. Everyone I told this to responded back with the same answer, “Superheroes don’t exist.” But little did they know, superheroes do exist. Not only do they exist but there was one living in my house all along, a superhero I call mother. She may not be able to fly like Superman or be able to shoot webs like Spider-Man, but she does have a power, and that is super strength.

When most people hear that my mom has super strength, they might think she’s super muscular, but the truth is she isn’t. She can’t lift a car with one hand maybe not even a gallon of milk, but she is strong enough to support her family.

As I was growing up I would wonder why I didn’t see my mom that often. I would wonder why I didn’t have any dad. I wondered why I spent most of my time with my grandma. And I wondered why I was born in one country but was living in another. All these questions taunted me for years; it wasn’t until I got a little older and had a better understanding about life that all my questions were answered.

The reason why I didn’t see my mom that often was because she had to work most of the time to take care of me, my two siblings and my grandmother. The reason why there wasn’t a father in my life was because he walked out on us and left my mom all alone with three kids when I was barely 2 years old. The reason why I was born in one country but lived in a different one was because my mom thought about our future. She thought that leaving her country and coming to the United States would help her give us a better life. She thought we would have better opportunities and a way better education than we would have gotten in her country, and indeed she was right.

I’m sure that life as a single mother isn’t easy, especially when you’re trying to raise your kids in a country that’s not yours, a country as strange as a stranger on the street. Since day one life for her was very hard, but she never gave up. She sacrificed seeing her kids’ first bike ride, or her kids’ first lost tooth, all these precious moments any mother would love to be part of just so she could continue working her three jobs to support her family. Her main priorities were that we always had a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes we can wear. She didn’t have that much time to spend with us, but the kiss she gave us every night before we went to bed was more than enough for us to know how much she loved us. I really don’t blame her or hold anything against her because she wasn’t with me throughout my childhood because I understand what was going on.

Knowing that my mother has sacrificed so much and left her country to come to a strange one just for us, is the reason why she is my hero. Knowing that even though my dad walked out on us but she didn’t give up and stayed strong no matter what life throws at her is why I say she has super strength. But more than a hero and a mother I like to see her as my idol, my best friend, and a role model I admire because nobody is bigger than her. Now who said superheroes don’t exist?