The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom (TLC)

THE SECRET LIFE OF A SOCCER MOM follows stay-at-home moms as they return to the careers they put on hold to raise a family. In each episode, a homemaker secretly goes to work, experiencing the life she opted out of to become a full-time wife and mother. For a week, each mom strives to find her place in the professional world while her husband and children learn to cope without her. At the end of the week, the moms are surprised with a job offer and must quickly choose whether to keep pursuing their dream career or return to life at home.

The series, which is hosted by Growing Pains alum Tracey Gold, highlights the difficult choices that women must make when faced with the demands of raising a family and building a career. It also shows some of the challenges they face when they do return to the workforce after a long break, including being able to keep up with changes in their industry as well as finding the strength to put home issues aside in order to do their job. Meanwhile, unsuspecting husbands quickly learn how difficult it is to be a stay-at-home parent.

The women's mixed feelings about their choices are very real, but the way the show corners them into choosing a job over staying at home at the end of each episode seems a little unrealistic and somewhat unreasonable. Still, The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom sends some positive messages about family. Content-wise, it's appropriate for viewers of all ages (though little kids probably won't be interested or necessarily get what's at stake) and may even encourage families to talk about some of the issues it raises.

TV Rating: TV-G
Network: TLC
Cast: Tracey Gold
Genre: Reality TV
Where to watch: TLC