Mom: The Woman of Many Talents

Last night as I was on the Internet I saw an advertisement for earning degrees on-line. There was a list of various occupations one could receive training for. As I read through each profession, I thought to myself "Hey, I do that now!" I know I am not trained and in the know-how of all the little details of each profession, but as a mom I play a variety of roles that require numerous skills. Such as:

Criminal Investigator

Have you ever tried to figure out "Who dunnit?" when everyone is pointing fingers and blaming the other? Who ate the last cookie? Who hit Jimmy? Who spilled milk all over the floor? It takes great detective skill to see who is actually telling the truth and who is the culprit.

Graphic Designer

Try drawing a picture for your kids on demand. They are tough critics. A mom has to get it just right.

Teacher

Do I even have to go into this one? We all know that Mom is the one who usually is there to encourage the children in their reading and writing. Mom is the one who gets to help with homework, sometimes quite the impossible task. And Mom is there to set the tone for the home. To invite the Spirit in and answer those little questions about the Gospel that pop up at the most random times. Mom teaches by her example, in all she does, whether for good or bad.

Psychologist

Most moms usually need to talk to one of these on a weekly basis. But we also play psychologist when it comes to figuring out what is wrong with our kids. Why are they sad or shy? How can we help them overcome their fears? How can we help them when they get their feelings hurt? How do we teach them how to release anger? Why in the world is Jimmy throwing a tantrum because I dare to eat breakfast? These are the great mysteries of life.

Project Manager

Kids and chores. Enough said.

Counselor

Moms are always there to help with problems. And we are expected to know everything, until our kids hit teenage years. Then we know nothing. But hopefully they still come to us for help. And being a counselor takes great patience sometimes because we often need to let our kids figure things out for themselves.

Accountant

Most women I know handle the budget. Being the one who does the main shopping in the family, a mom had better have some sense of money management. If not, her family is doomed. When Marshall was on law school I fed a family of 5 for $160 a month. Now if that doesn't take skill then I don't know what does.

Health Care Manager

Who is in charge of overseeing the proper care of owies? Moms have magical kisses that can help heal any wound. And Mom has to be good at managing the dispensing of band-aids or else they would run out in two minutes. She needs to be able to determine what is a real owie and what is not. Sometimes it's a tough call that can receive a lot of criticism.

Moms are amazing. We don't get any training aside from what we learn as we go along. Sometimes we have to fake it, but for the most part we do know everything. No wonder the estimate pay for a home maker would be around $160,000 a year. It's a demanding, multi-skilled, sometimes hostile job. Only the tough ones make it through sane.