Motherland

Meet the Alpha Mums, headed by Amanda, very much the queen bee. Everything is organised and sparkling clean; even the kitchen corkboard is a statement of success. At the other end of the spectrum, meet Liz, who is totally chaotic and feels that the kids should enjoy free expression: if they want to do kamikaze jumps off the sofa, she drags a mattress round for safety. Somewhere between Amanda and Liz is Julia. She is organised; as a successful event-organiser, she must be. But when her mother Marion declares that she will no longer be the free childminder and school-run taxi, Julia's organisation skills are taxed and nowhere near the level of the Alpha Mums. Also in the mix is Kevin, the stay-at-home dad who, rather than fighing against it, embraces it with gusto--much to the other mums' irritation.