3 Cheers for Jewish Moms

I guess I'm in the process of repentance. For around 6 years I have lived on the East coast, and during that time I have become intimately acquainted with Jewish mothers. Stereotyping is usually bad, but growing up, we all heard Mom talk about Jewish mothers and she even had a guide on how to be a Jewish mother. While I found Mom funny (and not just because of the Jewish mother thing,) I didn't quite get the whole Jewish mother phenom until moving to the East. To be fair, I haven't always been the biggest fan of the Jewish mothers stereotyped in Mom's silly book. I have found them loud, brash, bossy, and happy to dole out unsolicited advice when I least appreciated it. But today I have decided to change my tune. The bottom line is, we all need women like these on our side -- certainly not against us. You know the old addage "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Well, I'm not planning to convert, but I've decided to harness the Jewish mother power. Let me 'splain...no it's too much...let me sum up. I hauled two toddlers with me to the allergist this morning -- Caroline and Samuel Schmidt. When I got there, I strapped them both into my double stroller because let's face it -- how else was I going to contain 2 toddlers in a doctor's office? I rolled into the co-op building (in Scarsdale, no less) that my doctor rents from and I was greeted by a doorman who informed me that strollers were no longer allowed through that entrance. I had never heard this rule and so I explained that at nearly 9 months pregnant, I couldn't get the kids through the back way he was suggesting. He finally relented but only on the condition that I carry the stroller up the 5 steps to the landing where the entrance to the doctor's office is located. I thought, "Surely this man is deaf. I just said I was 8.5 months pregnant." But, NO...I carried that loaded stroller up those steps and without any help from him. So I enter the doctor's office huffing and puffing and ready to blow the co-op down and am greeted by the old Jewish receptionist and the doctor's wife -- another Jewish mother. After I replayed the incident for them, I had two of the fiercest advocates for my health and safety I have ever met. Literally you would have thought I was their daughter. Following my injections they insisted on "escorting" me out all the while glaring at the doorman and causing quite a stink. While I so appreciated their help, I was trying not to laugh inside because their reactions were so strong. Whoa unto the doorman...I'm keeping these types on my side.