God is a good and loving God to his children. He also has a heck of a sense of humor. How else can you explain the creation of children?

He creates them as cute, cuddly, innocent little creatures who, with a little food and a little water, grow into not so cute, not so cuddly and not so innocent ankle biters. They kind of remind me of the Gremlins from the 1980s.

Don't get me wrong. Children are wonderful, most of the time. But, as any parent knows, there are times you wonder how in the world your child turned into a little monster.

That is why I think God created a superhero for the home. She is Mother, the One Armed Woman. I became her in the summer of 2000. Here is one of my adventures.

I had come to the realization that if ever an unfortunate turn of events should happen, resulting in the loss of an upper limb, I would still be able to survive with no help whatsoever. Most women come to this realization when they enter the realm of motherhood.

No other creature on Earth is able to bottle feed, get dressed and use the toilet simultaneously, which I found I could do quiet nicely on many an occasion. It is amazing what talent arises when you become, Mother, the One Armed Woman.

The birth of a baby renders one arm completely useless for anything except holding the baby. The baby has staked claim to that arm and fiercely intends to defend its claim until such time as the sheer weight of the child and the force of gravity revoke the claim.

So that leaves us with one good arm. It is astounding what can be accomplished with only one arm. I have discovered that I can dress myself one-handed, underwear and all. I can put makeup on with a single limb, as well as eat, brush my teeth, style my hair, cook, clean, shop, etc. You name it and I have probably succeeded with that task single-handedly (yes, pun intended).

God must have known this was going to be the situation when he created us. That is why we got two hands instead of one -- one for our family and the other to reach out to him.

That's God for you. He always gives you an extra hand when you need it.

Cheryl Poole is a mother and a teacher at Busbee Elementary School in Aiken County.