1) I've done something great. I may never live up to the lofty career goals I once set for myself, but it doesn't really matter. I can die happy knowing I've accomplished something in bringing the world two great kids.

2) I get to be a kid again. I have permission to make up imaginary characters, talk like Elmo, dance like a fool, give "airplane" rides, and bake cookies any time, just because.

3) I get to feel things deeply. This isn't always good -- you never feel worse than when your child is really sad, or more worried than when your child might be seriously sick or hurt. But fortunately, it's the flip side I experience most: being moved by a kid's big laugh, or absurdly proud when he or she says something very grown up. Yes, things I wouldn't even notice in somebody else's child.

4) Motherhood makes me tough. I don't want the kids to see me cry, so often I just don't. (If I must, that's what the bathroom is for.) I can care for them when I'm sick and exhausted, stay calm when I want to scream, keep smiling and playing with their feet when planes crash into the World Trade Center.

5) Motherhood makes me organized. OK, I'll never be nearly as organized as I'd like to be, but it really is true that if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person. I've learned to multitask with the best of them, and it's an aspect of being a mom that has actually helped me in the workplace. I get things done faster and more efficiently because I have greater incentive than ever to get home at a decent hour.

That's my list. What's yours?