The list is based on money controlled, decision-making power, and multiple measures of influence. These power women publicly acknowledge that being a mother and a professional is very difficult, and they have strategies to succeed both in the boardroom and at home.
Most of them are married; some are divorced; a couple are widows. Most of them say they make time to be with their children, and some of them were raised by strong mothers. All of them are tough, and all of them are very rich.
I sighed. I am inspired and in awe of them. And then I thought, wait, most powerful mom? We ordinary working mothers may not close billion-dollar deals, but we do great things.
We bought Avengers plastic tumblers from Petron after the kid has watched the movie... and we panicked when they no longer had Thor. It took us a long ride home, detouring to four gasoline stations, to find Thor. We got home and the kid is already asleep, so we were late for work the following day just to see the look on the kid's face when he saw all four tumblers lined up in the dining table. Of course, the tumblers were forgotten when Spiderman came along.
Our child got in a fight with a playmate over a marble, and as a result we got in a fight with the other kid's mother.
We would sometimes wish our child never got on a bicycle, or climbed trees, or rode the bus, or got a boyfriend, if it meant we could spare our child all the scrapes, the hurts and the heartache.
We ordinary working mothers are the source of infinite riches. Our Kate Spade wallets (bought in four gives) produced Barbie dolls, movie tickets for Ice Age 4, and McFloat and fries. Of course they don't know the loans we've filed to pay for their tuition.
We control money. It takes a lot of effort and a session with a calculator to make ends meet every payday, and still have some enough left to bring cookies home, or treat your daughter to a hair spa, or buy some new underwear.
We are powerful decision-makers. From the food served at lunch to the school the child goes, from the doctor's appointments to the new curtains for Christmas, we usually have the last say. It makes for a peaceful household when you let us have our way, and of course you can always blame us when the kid gets a new scrape on the knee, or the fried chicken was burnt, or the in-laws were disappointed by the way the children behaved.
And of course, you can never underestimate the influence we exert-- or impose-- on behalf of our children. Ever tried getting an appointment with a class adviser over a test paper that had grammatical errors in the questions? Ever tried arguing with the mother of a child who got sideswiped by a tricycle while crossing the street? Ever seen a mother confront the boyfriend who got her daughter pregnant at sixteen?
We are not perfect. We try to do the best we can, every moment, hoping we are not wrong. Sometimes, when our kids grow fucked up, we get blamed for their childhood. But for a sweet, beautiful time, in the little worlds of our children, we are the most powerful mom. We move heaven and earth for them.
