Are You Navigating Motherhood Like a Pro? Find Out With This Quiz!
As someone who enjoys using writing prompts to spark creativity, I often find myself simply jotting down initial thoughts. But the thoughts tend to remain on the page going nowhere. Recently, through my writing group Exhale, I came across a prompt that stood out:
List the small things you've done in the past 24 hours related to motherhood. The smaller, the better. Can this list inspire a poem or scene showcasing the whirlwind of motherhood's strength, creativity, patience, uncertainty, and sadness?
Reflecting on a seemingly ordinary Monday with my boys, filled with homeschooling, after school activities, and 3+ meals in-between, I began to record details from our day. It wasn't until I was deep into Tuesday, with three pages of notes in hand, that I realized the richness of our ordinary day. It wasn't just another Monday; it was a day brimming with life, our life.
This inspired me to create a quiz that captures the essence of how we can sometimes feel as mothers, as caregivers. As you take this quiz discover what kind of mom you are, or perhaps realize that, like me, you embody all these aspects at different times or ha! in the same 5 second period.
The Quiz
1. You wake up early to make homemade waffles because:
A. You received a waffle maker for Christmas and it's practically begging to be used.
B. Your Walmart order got canceled and left you with no convenient breakfast options.
C. You secretly aspire to be the next contestant on a cooking show.
2. Your child's pet snail (1 of 6) passes away. Imagine a limp squishy body oozing out of a broken shell at the breakfast table. What’s your next move?
A. Quick science lesson on the circle of life.
B. Attempt snail CPR with a cucumber slice.
C. Plan a full-scale funeral, complete with eulogies. All morning plans are halted.
3. Your typical morning (before 8am to be precise) includes which of the following?
A. Conducting a 32-tooth orchestra, complete with a two-minute symphony for each set of teeth.
B. Being the unsung hero who flushes forgotten toilets and battles the crumb apocalypse.
C. Repeating the same request about magnatiles “take them downstairs!” with the persistence of a broken record because the cleaners are coming TODAY!
4. What’s your approach to homeschooling?
A. Wing it – the internet knows all.
B. Create a detailed lesson plan complete with a classical music playlist.
C. Hire a tutor – delegation is key.
5. When your oldest doesn't feel like practicing cursive for his copywork, you:
A. Offer a gentle reminder about the importance of practice, blending firmness with empathy.
B. Joke about the modern world's keyboard-centric ways, but internally question the necessity of cursive in the digital age.
C. Half-jokingly propose a switch to hieroglyphs – after all, variety is the spice of life!
6. You’re on hold with customer service already for 30 minutes. Are those tears of joy or sadness at canceling Orlando hotel tickets? What do you do while listening to elevator music through your earpiece?
A. Contemplate the meaning of life.
B. Juggle three other tasks because multitasking is your superpower.
C. Daydream about a Harry Potter-themed adventure some other time wondering how on earth you’re going to break this news to the boys.
7. Did I mention the cleaners are coming tomorrow? There’s a sprawling Lego city complete with ropes and a pulley system for the gondola all over the stairs. Your course of action?
A. Commend their creativity, but emphasize a speedy cleanup while simultaneously adding to your Amazon cart that Lego-sucking vacuum cleaner you didn't purchase for Christmas.
B. Suggest a quick but strategic Lego relocation project, with the promise of rebuilding post-cleaning.
C. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, ponder if the cleaners would appreciate a Lego obstacle course as a change of pace because you are over the Legos entirely.
8. It's lunchtime, and your children have been wearing their long underwear all morning, in fact, all weekend long. The tutor for Spanish lessons is soon to arrive. What’s your move?
A. Quick! Change everyone into more presentable outfits – appearances matter.
B. Embrace the long underwear as the new chic. After all, we live in Park City and should be ready at a moments notice to head to the mountain.
C. Start a game where the best Spanish speaker gets to choose their outfit for the lesson.
9. When teaching fractions to your 8-year-old, you:
A. Break out the measuring cups, turning the kitchen into a math classroom.
B. Get schooled on what 4/4 really means – apparently, your child is the math whiz, but he’s totally sweet about it.
C. Consider a quick refresher on fractions for yourself because, well, it's been a while.
10. When your son asks for an online membership to a math game all his friends play, you:
A. Firmly yet kindly explain why it's a no-go, reinforcing family values and the importance of mindful screen time.
B. Respond with a humorous quip about the 'good old days' of paper-pencil math, subtly teaching a lesson in nostalgia and simplicity.
C. Briefly envision saying yes, tossing caution (and fears of excessive screen time) to the wind. After all, it’s educational.
11. You’re not happy with your son’s haircut, but you leave the barber shop without speaking up. What do you do when you get home?
A. Shrug – hair grows back, right?
B. Complain to your husband, then realize he has bigger fish to fry. So you book a do-over appointment, silently vowing to speak up next time.
C. Start a YouTube tutorial binge to become a barber overnight.
12. You have some time to kill before evening ski practice, so you head to the mountain to do some laps in the terrain park with your boys. How do you incentivize your child to work on turns instead of straight lining?
A. Promise them the world.
B. A meticulous count of ski turns rewarded with mini Skittles tucked away in a tic-tac container in your pocket.
C. Just the thrill of the slopes should be enough!
13. You discover a smooshed banana in your son’s ski bag after 7 hours of practice. What's your response?
A. Shrug it off – a little extra fruit never hurt a ski bag. Wonder if this qualifies as a new kind of air freshener?
B. Embark on a cleaning mission, followed by a bag-drying operation which takes far too long.
C. Rage scream, though no one is around to listen. Then compose your thoughts for a teachable moment about the importance of checking pockets.
14. What’s your go-to strategy when dinner time is hours away, but your child is already hungry?
A. Wait it out – hunger builds character.
B. Open a bag of chips and call it an appetizer.
C. Whip up a veggie charcuterie complete with ranch dressing because why not make snacking fancy and nutritional?
15. Bedtime storytelling is more like:
A. A beloved albeit tiresome ritual of reading the same book for the 100th time
B. A dramatic performance of a made up story, complete with varying voices and characters and some out of bed acting
C. Letting them watch TV – it’s kind of like storytelling. Good grief, you deserve a break!
16. At the end of a long day, I mean a really long day, how do you feel about motherhood?
A. Grateful for the chaos, love, and learning that each day brings, knowing these moments are fleeting.
B. A bit frazzled, would like to get a shower, but proud of juggling it all with a blend of humor, love, and a dash of creativity.
C. Ready for a well-deserved break, perhaps with a good book or a quiet few moments to yourself, reflecting on the day's adventures, glass of wine in hand.
D. Occasionally wonder about the parallel universe operating outside your realm, where every maternal task is monetarily rewarded, imagining a world that fully acknowledges this labor of love.
Results:
Mostly A's: You're the laid-back mom! You navigate the whirlwind of motherhood with a relaxed vibe, taking each challenge in stride. (Sometimes?)
Mostly B's: You're the supermom! Creative, organized, and always ready for a challenge. You turn every obstacle into an opportunity for growth and learning. (That’s exhausting)
Mostly C's: You're the chill-and-outsource mom! You know your strengths and aren’t afraid to delegate. After all, it takes a village! (Well said, but will I?)
