Superhero Mom

I suspect every mother has at least one superpower. What that superpower for any particular mother is anyone’s guess. Further, there may even be a superhero suit lurking underneath the regular workaday clothes.

It is only in retrospect that I believe I have identified one of the superpowers my mom possessed. It wasn’t invisibility; it wasn’t being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound; and she could only fly with the help of an airplane.

It was (drum roll, please) Kleenex. Mom always had, at the ready, Kleenex, Puffs, or other tissues. Whether it was a box of tissues in my parents’ bedroom, the bathrooms, or other rooms in the house or a slightly wrinkled, but clean one she produced at a moment’s notice from her purse*, there was always Kleenex readily available. She always had pocket packs of tissues for my sisters and me if we needed one for school. As far as I remember, there never was a time when an emergency need existed that wasn’t fulfilled.

Lest it might be argued that all mothers do this, I can produce photographs of my mom with Kleenex in her lap. In fact, most of the photos of Mom in her later years, if examined closely, show a Kleenex or two (in her hands, sticking out of a pocket, or, as mentioned, in her lap).

Perhaps it was her superhero suit peeking out and showing itself after all the years.

On the other hand, I find myself stuffing tissues into my purse and pockets all the time now. I never leave home without grabbing one or two. I have learned to do this for myself; Kleenex Mom, AKA Mom, is no longer with us, but her photos (and the habits she instilled in my sisters and me) linger on.

Happy Mother’s Day!

* Because of the unwritten rule of never getting into Mom’s purse unless permission was given (and rarely was that the case), I can’t tell what all her purse contained.