Teaching Sunday school at her brother's church in the Bay area was supposed to help former champion athlete Esther "Essie" Walker understand boys -- the better to raise her newborn son as a stellar example of manhood. Fat chance! Enter the eight-year-old male psyche: awful jokes, disrespectful behavior and general mayhem. Essie, the queen of control, finds herself in a brand-new world of chaos.The pressure builds on all fronts -- Sunday school class, husband's job search, church dramatic pageant, aging parents, finances -- until Queen Esther has one royal meltdown. God, it seems, has makeover plans for Essie's competitive nature. Her characteristic control is in very short supply as she gains a better understanding of the nature of imperfection, the value of motherhood and the virtues of a messy but connected life. Allie pleiter is the author of Romantic Times Top pick (4 1/2 stars) Bad Heiress Day for Steeple Hill Cafe. She lives with her husband and two children in Villa park, Illinois.