Wonder Mom Wins MVP for "Everything Else"

A few days ago, Wonder Mom visited us for dinner with her tribe of four kids. Of all my mom friends, she deserves the Wonder Mom title: She's putting her husband through graduate school, works full-time and takes care of four kids, one who is a beautiful infant who can't stop smiling. On top of this, she always looks fabulously accessorized.

Wonder Mom and I became fast friends about two years ago. We share an intimate knowledge about the struggle involved after signing up to take care of "Everything Else" when a spouse decides to go back to graduate school. "Everything Else" encompasses a universe of possibilities that even the most prophetic mind can't foresee: from simultaneously wiping multiple butts and preparing multiple daily feedings to satisfy a village of Hobbits, as well as maintaining a clean house with toddler germ reservoirs, to exceeding expectations at work to keeping paying the bills, and coping alone with every sick kid crisis and random act of G-d that comes your way, which includes trees falling on your house. (A strange coincidence that we both experienced.)

A combination of Olympian strength, ESP powers and the patience of Mother Theresa is required to make it through most days. Others wind up in a psychiatric institution.

We were discussing the delusions of grandeur our husbands have had about us taking care of "Everything Else." During tough times, husbands remind us about being a "team" and how they are doing their part for the greater good of the family. Of course, this goes out when the window when you're running out the door to spend a girls' night out after months of planning, and your spouse decides to change babysitting arrangements at the last minute by suggesting that he bring your young children into the city to scalp tickets so he doesn't miss a game. Just like they can never fully appreciate the pains of labor and delivery, the reality of "Everything Else" will forever be lost on them.

I reminded Wonder Mom that once you sign up for the family cult, you need a team to survive. Yet, there's also a Most Valuable Player (MVP) on every team. And hands down, she, like most moms, definitely wins it.