Wife Swap or Coupon Swap?

[thedollymama]

The other day, I was able to sneak ten minutes of TV while my sons were occupied in their rooms.  I sat down with a load of unfolded laundry piled up next to me and turned on the boob tube.  Of course, there was nothing of much interest to me on at 10:00 in the morning, so I just stopped at whatever looked somewhat entertaining.  I thought it didn't really matter what I was watching, because I knew it was only a matter of minutes before the thundering herd made their way back downstairs and demanded Ben 10 or Superhero Squad.  So, I stopped surfing the channels on a show I had never actually watched a complete episode of, Wife Swap.  "This could be funny," I thought as I began to fold my kids' mini-boxers.

Well, about 10 minutes into the show, I wasn't laughing.  Instead, I was so stressed out, I was actually waiting for the kids to come down and interrupt me.  Most of you probably know enough about the show to know the basic premise, but for those of you who don't, the object of the show is this - to throw a very comfortable mom/wife into a very uncomfortable situation.  You take a type A personality mom and have her swap lives with a type C personality mom for two whole weeks.  They are supposed to try to run the other contestant's household the way she normally does in her house hundreds of miles (and sometimes many worlds) away.  Expectedly, the basic outcome is nothing short of a total disaster.

As humans in a free society we are very fortunate to be able to choose the people whom we "do life" with.  In doing so, there are many factors we look at in choosing these partners.  Generally, you have many important things in common - similar values, similar beliefs, similar likes and dislikes, similar tastes, etc.  Granted, I do believe to keep things interesting you have to have some small differences, but overall, the big things tend to match up.  As evident by the contestants they choose for the show.  The neat woman marries the orderly man.  The dramatic woman marries the imaginative man.  The outdoorsy woman marries the organic man.  You get the picture. And through these alliances similar-minded offspring are spawned.  (Disclaimer - I know this isn't always the case.  There are very successful partnerships that are made up of two polar opposites. And that is awesome!)

With this harmonious partner theory in mind, the show Wife Swap turns this theory on its ear.  The show takes neat, disciplined wife and puts her in a house with disorganized dad and uncontrollable kids, and vice/versa.  At the end of the two weeks, lessons are supposed to be learned and respect for their "real" moms renewed.  Watching this process made me wonder why anyone would feel the need to be on a show like that.  Why would you want to leave your comfort zone and spend two unpredictable, probably very trying weeks being the matron of someone else's domain?  I thought about it and thought of several reasons a person might do it.  I guess its part being on TV and part a desire to feel needed. It is also an opportunity to step outside your box and stretch yourself by seeing things through someone else's experiences.  The show also feeds off the fact that sometimes people need a change of scenery to see how "good they got it." 

It made me wonder what "lessons" I would teach the family who was lucky enough to have me in their home for two weeks.  I wondered what I would learn from another family that is completely different than mine.  Would it make me a better mom and wife?  Would I appreciate my life more or would I be determined to change it?  I decided that my life may not be for every mom.  I may be a little too relaxed or allow my kids to watch too much TV.  I may not make up my beds enough or get out of my pajamas every day, but it works for us.  Just watching those women try to change the mindset of a whole family was stressful.  I think I will just stick with my perfectly imperfect house and, although it is interesting to see how other people respond to swapping roles, I think I will save my swapping for coupons!