Hunley: A world champion mom

Sunday was Mother's Day, but I'm not good with deadlines (you can ask my editor), so here's the tale of a local mom, a day late:

Windra Bowman's husband is frequently in the spotlight -- literally.

As the professional wrestler "Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero, Matt Bowman performs most weekends.

That's when the Manassas resident hears the cheers from crowds at venues along the East Coast.

But Sunday, Matt and I talked about how Windra is a superstar in her own right.

That's because she's the primary caregiver for the couple's two sons, 3½-year-old Nicholas and 1½-year-old Anthony, who are autistic.

So it's Windra who has to watch over the boys when Matt is working at Lockheed Martin during the week, or in the squared circle on the weekends.

It's Windra who most often has to endure the criticism of ignorant people if Nicholas and Anthony act up in public.

And it's Windra who has to get up in the wee hours when Nicholas wakes up.

"She probably gets an average of about three hours of sleep a night," Matt told me as he watched over his sons so that his wife could have a break on Mother's Day.

Put another way: It's difficult to raise any kids. But when your children have to endure a condition that even doctors are still working to understand, you're handling more than your fair share.

And, on top of that, as I've written before, the Bowmans do yeoman's work in raising awareness of autism.

The bald Jimmy Cicero was traditionally a bad guy in the ring. But he's now a good guy, or "babyface," and he speaks about autism whenever wrestling fans are listening, and he collects donations for Autism Speaks.

Windra, meanwhile, helps with Matt's touring schedule, talks with promoters and raises money on her own. She just took in nearly $400 from a Pampered Chef fundraiser, Matt noted.

Windra and Matt also do their part for each other. Matt said that 90 percent of couples with autistic children divorce.

"So it's a challenge just to keep the marriage together," he said.

They travel together to Matt's shows as much as possible, and they've committed to renewing their vows every five years to keep a focus on the couple.

The Bowmans' fifth anniversary comes up July 9, and they've planned a ceremony with Matt's wrestling teacher presiding. That would be the great Ivan Koloff, who's also an ordained minister.

More immediately, Matt was taking Windra out for sushi Sunday.

That certainly was good for the marriage, too. But you can bet Windra deserves it.

There's no championship belt for being a good mom. But, if there was, Windra Bowman's name just might be on it.

Come see me

The News & Messenger will hold a "grand re-opening" of the paper's office in Manassas on Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

So come see me then, if you can. It's a good time to talk, especially if I've ever failed to get back to you in the rush to those deadlines I mentioned earlier.

Jonathan Hunley is a staff writer at the News & Messenger. Contact him at 703-369-5738 or at jhunley@insidenova.com.