In past articles about the "secret of work-life balance," I have intimated that athletics is a key ingredient to this equation.
In the past few weeks, I have been repeatedly reminded that there is another secret weapon as a working mom that I seem to continuously leverage to maximize productivity and satisfaction: post-modern Mary Poppins (to be defined below).
In the Dick Van Dyck special that I remember watching repeatedly in my youth, the utopic nanny that is Mary Poppins seemed to captivate first with her supernatural capabilities: the ability to fly through the air on command with an umbrella as her sail; the ability to win a horse race, enchant with "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and in general, bring fun and magic to the mundane. She could literally and figuratively not only wipe the soot off children's cheeks but out of the hearts of her "employer" families.
A "post-modern" Mary Poppins in my mind shares these preternatural ways; her "magic" derives primarily from her extreme multi-tasking capabilities.
In my world, a postmodern Mary Poppins could be one of several people:
1) The superstar nanny who cooks for the family and cares for one's children;
2) The rock-star yoga teacher who teaches your toddler to count as you practice an Asana;
3) An athletic trainer who coaches your toddler to use "high knees" while you the adult run through the ladder;
4) A work colleague who offers to meet with you while your children finish their dinner;
5) A close friend who brings a great bottle of wine to share with you while you go through the bathtime/bedtime routine with your little ones and who offers to pitch in for bedtime stories if your spouse is traveling.
So the bigger-picture question is: why do post-modern Mary Poppins figures matter?
1. A little bit of "magic" goes a long, long way
In the journey of parenting, there are more moments that surprise and delight, and others that are more taxing, than I think many of us anticipated. The post-modern Mary Poppins concept brings the surprise, delight, and support into parenting in a magical way. Here we are chugging away at life- and a little extra unanticipated help and support can seem as magical as a nanny transported via Umbrella Air.
2. They exist
In my experience to date, these post-modern Mary Poppins people are born, not made. They show up with an ability for multi-tasking, an intuition that the role they can optimally serve in relationship to "you" is more than about just "you," but about multi-dimensional capabilities. Post-modern Mary
Poppins personages are not perfect, but they are perfect at over-delivering right when you need it the most. They delight in giving, and they delight in connecting with your entire family structure, not just performing a singular role.
And if you are lucky enough to find one or more, you might now be asking, how do I make sure they never leave?
You can't. Like Ms. Poppins herself, the wind will likely blow all Mary Poppins in and out of your life. One must take the leap of faith that if they drift out it's to "take care of another family." The great hope is that they will continue to come in as you need them.