3 Tactics to Make Any Mission #Mompossible

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own

When I received the “mission” to check out the new Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation I was stoked. I’m a huge fan of the franchise (and Tom Cruise) I couldn’t wait see what was in store of Ethan Hunt and rest of the IMF team. Now it should come as no surprise to anyone that’s read any of previous posts or even looked at my bio below that I don’t have kids. I’m still very much a kid-at-heart with a passion for movies and entertainment. So you may be wondering how might I figure into the #Mompossible equation?

Well, back when I was a college student at UCLA I was also double-agent for the Deputy District Attorney of Los Angeles (no pressure right?) — and by “double-agent” I mean babysitter. It was a great way to earn some extra cash to spend on “books” and in many ways I view my job as babysitter as if I were a stand-in Mom (or Dad). To be clear, I wasn’t just the caretaker of one child; that would be too easy. I was in charge of three awesome kids. Ian, an 11-year-old soccer boy, Gia, a 10-year-old actress, and Jay, a rambunctious 6-year-old (for the record, they also had two dogs). Looking back now I can’t help but wonder how I ever managed to wrangle all three kids and get them to soccer practice or acting class, finish their school presentation or study for a spelling test, prepare them a snack or take the dog for a walk. So how did I make all these things #Mompossible? The tactics I used weren’t so different than the ones Ethan Hunt uses.

1. Make a Plan — the key to any successful mission is to make a plan. Before the start of every afternoon I knew exactly the tasks at hand. What needed to be accomplished and when. A great strategy to employ in this is make your mini “secret agents” apart of the plan. I knew that Gia loved going to acting class, so she made sure that I was in the car and ready to go. Mission Accomplished.

2. He vs She vs Me — as they say, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Siblings are great. They have a relationship and rapport with each other that goes deeper than any babysitter could have (and unique to a parent-child one). This is another means of accomplishing a mission. For example, Ian, being the oldest, was also the most responsible and sometimes when I couldn’t get a handle on Jay or Gia, Ian was a great ally in getting the job done.

3. Hold on for dear life — if there’s one thing that is key to a Mission Impossible film, it’s Tom Cruise hanging off some absurd construct. Whether it’s the world highest tower in Mumbai (see Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol) or a plane taking flight, you can bet that Mr. Hunt is most definitely holding on because his life does depend on it. The lesson I take from this is that you can’t always prepare for every circumstances (i.e: fingers caught in the door, missing child because they went home with a friend, visiting grandparents) So in all those cases, I found it best to take a deep breath, hold on, focus, and know that everything is gonna be alright.

I can’t complain too much because being a “double-agent” for three amazing kids has definitely been a highlight of my life. When my assignment came to an end it was definitely bittersweet but I’d know the things I taught them and they taught me has definitely helped me out later in life. That’s one of the things I liked the most about Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. When you align yourself with the right team, friends & family, you’ll always come out a winner and can call another #Mompossible mission…accomplished.

So might I suggest your next #Mompossible mission — should you choose to accept it — is hire a babysitter and check out Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation at a theater near you. Tickets available though Fandango at http://fandan.co/1Iigo84

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own