Superheroes and supernatural wishes

Last Friday when I invited readers to submit questions, Currently Facing South asked me “If you could be a superhero, who would you be?” and “If you could speak to anyone living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?”

If I were a superhero, I think I’d be Underdog. People would rub my back, give me treats, and let me sleep a lot. Hmmm, come to think about it, all of those things happen now. But if I were Underdog, I’d be able to fly and fight crime in my spare time. Sounds perfect!

As for the second question, the person I most long to speak with is my mom, who died in 1992, long before I had kids of my own.

I’d want to hear about my childhood from her perspective, tell her about my children, ask about parenting teenagers, and discuss marriage and menopause with her. I’ve dealt with episodes of depression most of my adult life, and I think she did too.

I wish we could discuss the things we never talked about: what her expectations were for her life when she was young, and whether it turned out the way she’d envisioned, whether on the whole she was happy, what she would have changed.

August 13, 2007

Comments

[Nance]

I'd take a pass on the whole "fighting crime" thing. Too worky.

I think having the chance to spend time with your mom is interesting. My mom is alive now,and I don't share much with her in that way. She is pretty wrapped up in the minutae of my other siblings' lives and I spend a lot of the time listening to that. Our relationship changed once my dad passed away, I think, and I'm not entirely sure why that is.

[furiousBall]

I'd want to be someone with a cool costume. I can't afford nice suits at work. Ergo, I look like a dockers ad with mustard stains usually.

I'd like to have lunch with my two grandmothers and my children, they never met.

[Peter]

Guess that being unable to talk to a parent who passed away (especially a mother) while growing older and having children will always leave a void that cannot be bridged.

Fortunately there are those close relatives/friends to partially fill that void.

[Di]

I know what you mean about your mom, I lost mine in '99 and I have so much to ask her. She was the knower of things ... and our balcony would be a wee garden of eden by now. She was a magical gardener.

[Ash]

I have a bit of that feeling of wanting to know more about my mom's life with us when we were kids. She is still living, thank goodness, but a very expensive phone call away, so not much time to chat.

[currently facing south]

interesting. my mom is still alive, but much older and we don't really talk much about personal things. i'm not even really sure where she was born, or where she grew up. it's that way with both of my parents, though, and always has been.
luckily there's still time to rememdy that.

[Amber]

I think about this when I write things down about my life, and myself. I think how maybe my kids will know me, through what I write...But I hope I will know how to be open in my words with them as well. Your mom's generation didn't talk. I would pay to sit down with my grandma now, and know her side of things. It would help me understand so much.

I feel like you need a ((hug)).

:)

[Ortizzle]

I am sorry to say I don't much miss the presence of my mother, but that's a complicated issue. (What I really miss is the idea of a mom.) But my dad... he died almost 30 years ago, and I ache to tell him so many things, and to ask him so many more.

And the superhero thing? I would fight corruption with my superhero magic wand and defend all the people being screwed around by money-grabbing beaurocrats. :-)

[V-Grrrl]

Amber,

My kids know about my blog but don't read it.I've told them it's written for adults, but I fully expect them to read it one day and sometimes when I write, I have them in mind. When they're adults, I hope they appreciate the chance to see me as more than just the one who cooked their dinner, washed their clothes, organized their birthday parties, and drove them around.

[TB]

"I wish we could discuss the things we never talked about: what her expectations were for her life when she was young, and whether it turned out the way she’d envisioned, whether on the whole she was happy, what she would have changed"... Oh, me too V. What I wouldn't give.