Your Mother Always Has the Answer

One of our favorite shows is Jeopardy.  It usually airs while we are sitting at dinner. We listen to the clues, as we enjoy my latest culinary creations. Education and dining, the perfect pairing.  Everyone chimes in, yelling out their answers.  Some days they have categories that are right up my alley.  I usually “run” the column, if they want “Potent Potables” or all things alcoholic.  It is a real banner day if they are also looking for “Dessert Names”. My children look on in awe as I shout out the correct answers.  My husband shakes his head at my amazing knowledge on Food and Drink. I also rock with “Celebrity Scandals”, “Golden Oldies Music”, and “Sit-Coms.” I let my family answer the queries on Sports, Current Events, and Greek Mythology.  I don’t like to hog the spotlight.

This past week, a stay at home Mom has been winning.  The most interesting thing to note is the surprise Alex Trebek is expressing.  As the mom slid into her third consecutive win, he shook his head, and said wonderingly, “A stay at home Mom wins again?!” Does the general population think that stay at home moms checked their brains at the delivery room door? We were not born into parenting.  In most cases we have gone to college, held down responsible jobs, and read newspapers, before we joined the motherhood. Many a night in our child’s first year was spent with CNN at the 2 o’clock feeding, and the early morning news at the crack of dawn.

As our kids grew older, we had to stay sharp to help them with math, social studies, and science homework. We have had to relearn all the state capitals, the solar system, and the periodic table. We became veritable fountains of miscellaneous trivia. So why the surprise, Alex?  It’s not just play dates, soap operas, and eating bon-bons on the sofa! (Well maybe occasionally.)

According to my calculations, this mom has pulled in an average of $70,000.00 for an hour of play, or $145,600,000.00 annualized! (Based on a 40 hour week, and 52 weeks a year) The real kicker is the mom said although her husband was happy she was winning, he wasn’t looking forward to “watching” the kid alone for more nights! Why?  Does junior have to construct a diorama, or volcano for school? Is there a test coming up in school? Piece of cake for the stay at home mom.

So be careful what you say Mr. Trebek, we are smart, sassy, and can drive a van like nobody’s business! By the way if you have a game coming up soon, that will feature “Hairstyles”, “Appliances”, and “Commercial Tag Lines”, well Holy Shish kabob! Give me a call!