Mama
By Jay Croushore
Mama strongarms husband and son

It happened as these things often do, totally off the cuff, 
completely unexpected.
It was one of those hot summer nights when it stayed light forever 
and it seemed as if it were as hot inside the house as outside.
Jennifer, my wife, went out for the evening with her girl friends 
and I was in charge of the kids.
About 9 p.m., my son Steven and I started doing pushups. We do 
about 10 different kids and we have worked our way up to about 20 
reps, so we do about 200 per session.
My daughters joined in, too, and before you know, we were all 
flexing our muscles and the kids were armwrestling each other.
After about an hour of this, Jennifer came home. She was wearing a 
sleeveless, T-back top that showed off a back and a set of 
shoulders that would put most competitive swimmers to shame. She's 
about 5-6, 140, but she is as solid as oak, and deceptively so. 
Ten years of toting car seats, groceries, children and laundry had 
added tone to already astonishing build.
"What's going on here? Jennifer asked as she walked in on the 
mayhem. "Who's winning?"
"I am," I said, thumping my chest.
"Sure you are," Jennifer said. "I bet Steven's been wearing you 
out."
Steve is only 10, but he's strong and loves to armwrestle, but he 
can't take me down. He can't beat his mother either, but that 
doesn't stop him from  trying.
"Come on Mom, I want to want to armwrestle," Steven said, putting 
his arm on the coffee table.
I was sitting on Steven's left when he issued the challenge to his 
mother.
Jennifer is usually reluctant to armwrestle. She's incredibly 
strong but she doesn't like to embarrass Steven, even though he 
doesn't mind. But on this night, she seemed eager to wrestle. 
Maybe she had had a few drinks.
"OK, big boy, let's see what you got," she said, positioning 
herself across from Steven and I.
I watched with interest as she offered her left hand to Steven, 
who is left-handed. She coolly met his resistance and held his arm 
steady as she told me about her evening.
"Oh, we had a few drinks, talked about getting in shape, 
armwrestling our husbands, you know," she said, smiling a wickedly 
confident smile.
With that comment, I stuck my right arm on the table and waved my 
fingers at her as a challenge.
She was still holding Steve with her left arm, but she coolly 
stuck out her right arm to accept my challenge.
I was shocked, to say the least. We've armwrestled dozens of times 
and she has always provided resistance, but on this night I left 
like I was armwrestling a 200-pound man.
"Ellen, Diane, get off the furniture," she hollered, turning her 
head to her two other daughters as she held her son and husband on 
even terms. "You guys get down and pay attention to your mother."
With that, I turned up the heat on my side of the match and 
couldn't believe the results. My heart started thumping as never 
before. Usually when I turn up the pressure she slowly succumbs or 
pulls out her arm.
Not this time.
She met my pressure with more of her own. I noticed she was slowly 
wearing down Steven, holding his arm inches from the table.
My arm was also on the downside.
"What's wrong, papa? Mama too strong?" she said.
I again increased the pressure, but tonight was her night.  She 
forced Steven's left arm to the table and held it flat. I fought 
for all I was worth, but Jennifer turned her wrist, lowered her 
incredible shoulder, blew me kiss  and slowly lowered my quivering 
arm.
I had never been beaten by a woman before, and I couldn't believe 
a man who outweighs his wife by 40 pounds and does 200 pushups a 
day could be beaten now.
But my arm was inches from the table.
"I gotcha, Papa, I finally gotcha."
I made one last surge, but she waited it out and then lowered her 
shoulder again and pressed my arm to the table.
And she held it there. Steven's arm was still pinned too.
Finally, she let go and stepped on the table, this 42-year-old 
mother went into a full series of biceps poses and flexes.
"I'm the champ, Papa. I really am stronger than you. I always have 
been."
With that, she strutted out of the room with her fists in the air. 
And I couldn't believe what I had just seen.