I’m not saying I’m a hero (I do replace the toilet paper a fair amount), but I do have some heroic qualities. All parents do.
Parenting requires superpowers. The same way emergencies case adrenaline to kick in and unlock heretofore unknown abilities when one is in danger, parenting reveals unknown reserves of strength, stamina, and, as my 7-year-old points out, invincibility.
He didn’t actually say that – he didn’t say anything, really, he just yelled “You’re the worst, I wish you weren’t my father!” but I survived that, and just a few minutes later, we were snuggling on the couch, watching a movie together.
So yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m invincible.
Every parent you know has some incredible skill. It’s part of the job. (It goes with the constant messes!)
Moms are hardcore multi-taskers, dads are stellar fixer-uppers, moms swoop in to help with homework math problems despite not having used geometry in 300 years, dads put together a mean Taco Tuesday even if it’s the only thing they know how to cook (hey, I can make chili too!), and when it comes to kid-related cleaning, it’s all hands-on deck.
Every parent is forced to lean on their special powers – and, often, a little Clorox – to survive the daily grind of child-raising. Those superpowers are needed to get past the grimy parts of parenting (i.e., when your kid says he can’t stand you, dirty diapers, spills at the breakfast, lunch and dinner table, etc.), and make your way into the good stuff (i.e. movie snuggles, laughs, and making family memories): clean comes first, what comes next is incredible.
Especially if what comes next is a Pixar movie.
In order to celebrate the upcoming release of Incredibles 2 – the sequel to the Pixar classic, in which Mr. Incredible’s powers are pushed to the limit when he stays home to face his greatest challenge: surviving his toddler! – Clorox is teaming up with Disney to reveal parents’ superpowers. I was planning to ask Detective Munch what he thought my parenting superpower was, but before I could, he threw an epic fit.
I had told him he couldn’t play Nintendo or have a beer or sell his little brother to the circus (I can’t remember exactly what he wanted). He yelled his little lungs out but I stood my ground, weathered the storm, and survived, until we were on the couch for family movie night. It was then, when I was sitting on the couch, snuggling with my 7 year-old, that it occurred to me that I have superpowers.
I’m invincible!
I’m impervious to my son’s whining and tantrums, I’m invulnerable to his insults; he can’t defeat me! I’m too powerful! At least, that’s what I need him to believe.
Because I’m only as strong as my kids believe I am, which means I have to keep powering through these different phases, keep calling my kids’ bluffs, keep letting the fits and the insults and the lying and the whining bounce off me like Mr. Incredible. At least until they’re teenagers and they know better, at which point I only have to last until they leave for college…
The fact is, super powers or not, parenting is all about survival – as Mr. Incredible is about to learn. And to help you get through it, this summer, Disney and Clorox or offering some super prizes!
Visit Disney.com/bigcitysweeps to enter a Disney Pixar and Clorox sweepstakes to win a trip to NYC to see the coolest sights in the city and go on a super shopping spree at The Disney Store in Times Square. 25 first prize winners will receive an Incredibles 2 Clorox prize pack. You can enter online every day or text the word “BIGCITY” to 347639! Message and data charges may apply.
Good luck!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Clorox® but all opinions are mine alone.
