Why I Call My Emotional Labor a Superpower
We balance everyone’s needs all the time. Let’s insist upon being seen as the powerful people we are.
It started when my daughter called her dad a superhero, “because he can erase colored pencils better than either of us.”
It’s true; his erasing powers are unmatched. But if that counts as a superpower, I think I’ve earned my cape as well.
I keep seeing essays with the message that women/moms aren’t superheroes, and I object. To be clear, when I say I’m a superhero, I’m not suggesting any of this comes easy to me. (Hell no.) Instead, I’m suggesting we insist upon being seen as the powerful people we are.
We, as a society, don’t put enough value on emotional labor and other domestic work.
I want to call attention to the unappreciated work, and I want to do it in a way that isn’t focused on capitalism. I would much rather point out how the things I do every day are powerful, than complain to my family, “Somebody should be paying me for this shit.” (Even though, honestly, we need UBI, because somebody should be paying me for this shit.)
I don’t need a trophy. I don’t even need a superhero cape. But…
