(Post by MOLLY MCCLELLAND)

The biggest surprise of being a mother, to me, is the sense of capability that it’s given me.  It is an unexpected gift, a bonus of sorts for lugging around a baby for nine-plus months. I think that women, in general, struggle in finding a sense of security with themselves; I am no exception, contrary to the confident way that I carry myself.

As women, we are constantly victims of comparison: who is skinnier, prettier, more successful, more fun to be
around.  The constant comparisons and pitting women against women slowly etches away at who we are as individuals and the gifts that each of us posses.  It becomes nearly impossible for us to separate ourselves from the idealized, plumped up, silicone injected, plastic mannequin Stepford wives we are brainwashed to be.

Becoming a mother has taken me off of that hamster wheel.  I am no longer concerned with how I rate or stack up to other women.  I only see how much my son, Jeffrey, loves and needs me.  It’s the best tunnel vision I could ever ask for.

In knowing fully that my son, Jeffrey, sees in me the most confident, capable woman—one that I have only imagined or have seen portrayed on television or movies—I have become capable.  There is nothing that I feel is out of reach or too lofty a goal.  If I am able to act as a conduit of life and as an advocate for this little-man-in-training; I’m pretty sure that I can handle pretty much anything that life dishes out.

Some days I feel like I should wear a cape like a comic book hero.  In fact, I’m not sure why Marvel hasn’t brought to life a supermom character:  faster than a speeding toddler, more powerful than a Big Wheel, able to change diapers with a single hand…while cooking dinner.

I speak not only for myself, but for all of the incredible mom’s I know.  We are capable and stronger than we give ourselves credit for.  Hello, we made babies!  Let’s give ourselves credit, and a well-deserved break.

Molly McClelland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Molly is a writer, humorist, working mother, and the creator of a new blog called momsaidwhat. As a first-time, new mom to Jeffrey John II, Molly is using the power of words and laughter to help find a balance between her family and her ambition. Fingers crossed.

Check out her blog http://momsaidwhat.com or Twitter: @mommamcclelland