If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?

A wry, domestic one-liner that uses mock “scientific” reasoning to praise (and gently lament) the workload of motherhood. By invoking evolution—often associated with optimization and adaptation—the joke points out that parenting demands can feel so overwhelming that even a basic anatomical limit (only two hands) seems like evidence that nature has underprovided. The humor comes from the mismatch between grand explanatory theory and everyday chaos, and from the affectionate exaggeration that mothers are perpetually multitasking. It also reflects a mid‑20th‑century stand-up style in which family life and gendered roles were common material, turning a familiar household truth into a punchline.