The Creation of Mothers     By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into the sixth day of creation and working overtime. An angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"     And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."     The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Six pairs of hands!" said the angel. The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the big problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"     "And that's on the standard model?" the angel asked. The Lord nodded and explained, "Yes – one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head, to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are in the front of her head, for looking at a child with love and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word."     The angel tried to tell the Lord to take a break. "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."     "But I can't!" the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a kilo of mince and can get a nine-year-old to stand in the shower."     The angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord." "She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."     "Will she be able to think?" asked the angel. The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate." The angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek.     "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."     "That's not a leak." the Lord said. "That's a tear." "What's the tear for?" the angel asked. The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."     The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!" The Lord looked at the angel and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again, my friend. I created the woman, but she created the tear." – Author Unknown