parenting

Being a mom can suck from time to time–schlepping a noisy carload of kids to outer Suburbia for Little League; making eleventh-hour trips to the hardware store to pick up parts for the science project your kid forgot was due the next day; or, having to vacation at a theme park rather than on the Left Bank in Paris. But it’s not like anyone forced us to sign on to this role, right? On balance, being a mom rocks. And here are 10 reasons why.

1. You have a passport to Funsville. Long gone are the days that an adult can hang out at playgrounds without a kid in tow–at least not without getting suspicious looks from other adults. Being a mom means getting to goof around on the monkey bars, and releasing your inner child.

2. You don’t have to be cool to have friends. What choice do other moms have but to hang out with you–all those hours sitting bum to bum in the stands watching basketball, packed into the auditorium for the school play, or spending hours in a registration line to secure a coveted spot in the learn-to-swim program.

3. You never have to work late. No sane boss will prevent a Mama Bear from leaving work on time to pick up her cubs from daycare or make it to the parent-teacher interview. Having a kid is like a permanent hall pass. You get to escape the confines of your cubicle, leaving the non-parent working stiffs to pick up the slack.

4. You have built-in tech support. With a kid in the house, it’s ok to be a Luddite. You don’t have to figure out how the remote works, how to download iTunes to your Macbook, or change your profile picture on Facebook. You’ve got mini Bill Gates at your beck and call.

5. You keep up with the latest slang. It’s easy to feel like a foreigner in your own city given how rapidly language changes. With kids around, you have a personal tour guide to translate for you: “sick” is a good thing; “turnt up” means getting intoxicated (or worse); and “yolo” is an acronym for “you only live once.”

6. You never go hungry. Given the choice between Pizza Pops for dinner and a quinoa salad, kids’ food preferences are clear. Moms routinely eat a second dinner finishing what their kids won’t touch.

7. You are no longer a slave to fashion. It doesn’t matter what is being paraded down the runways, no one criticizes a mom for pulling her hair into a quick ponytail rather than spending three hours with a curling iron. It’s a sign you have your priorities straight.

8. You develop a healthy immune system. Kids are like walking plagues, picking up everything–from colds to head lice–from other kids whose parents should have kept them home. Moms are constantly sick–but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. A mother will be the last one standing in any superbug pandemic.

9. You have a legit excuse for a messy house. Everyone, even your mother-in-law, understands that having a floor you can eat off of is not going to happen for the next 20 years. Plus, bacteria have been proven to be good for kids’ immune systems–and yours (see point 8 above).

10. You learn invaluable skills. Being a mom is like ten jobs rolled into one. What other job combines being a diplomat, chef, nurse, therapist, cleaning lady, tutor, storyteller, and witch–all on the same day? Each day poses unique and varied challenges, which surely is a stepping-stone to that corner office.