Go ahead and knock on the door of a local daycare facility, and you'll see several very young kids shadowing their daycare provider.

She's mom for all practical purposes - helping wipe off runny noses, soothing tears, making sandwiches, and whoops, there goes another accident with spilled milk.

Kelly (née Hovda) Mertens takes everything in stride. She's five-foot-two but, to her kids, she's Wonder Woman.

And maybe she is.

For almost 10 hours every weekday, the 1997 Roseau High School graduate takes care of eight kids ranging in age from six months to three-years-old.

Put a man in her shoes, an...