Palin and Motherhood
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Palin and Motherhood
| Sat, 09-13-2008 - 11:19am |
So it seems as though the conservatives don't know exactly what to do with Palin.
| Sat, 09-13-2008 - 11:19am |
So it seems as though the conservatives don't know exactly what to do with Palin.
i don't have answers to your questions, but i do suspect that the things we do as mothers (make appt with the pediatrician, shop for clothing, drive to lessons and practices, buy school supplies and help with homework) is done by someone other than Palin and her husband. my hypothesis is that she has a close family that augments her parenting - so grandparents and aunts and uncles help out. there is nothing wrong with that and i see it happen in many families that are fortunate enough to have the support nearby.
it is just not possible for her to be the same kind of working "mommy" as many of us who did not have that support.
or maybe she pays for help but i doubt it.
but those are good questions. i struggle with the balance still, although not as much as when my children were younger. i wanted to "be there" and still do when they are not whiney or snippy teens.
Bea
Edited 9/13/2008 12:21 pm ET by queenbea4
"But I think it is topical to ask whether Palin, as a mother of young children, should take on the job of VP."
IMHO, people with very young children (the Palins and the Obamas, for example) probably serve their families best by spending as much time as possible with them. The responsibilities of high public office should be undertaken by people who can devote all of their time and attention to the job. Children are too important to sacrifice to the ambition of either the mother or the father.
Deborah
" Children are too important to sacrifice to the ambition of either the mother or the father."
As a (somewhat fanatical) father, I have to agree with you, EXCEPT I have found that I have always had to make exceptions. I want my kids to understand certain things - not just on a superficial level, but deep down in their "souls." I have regularly donated time to certain causes (community outreach, mostly tutoring). This *seriously* pisses of my wife and kids who think I'm giving them short shrift. "You give your time to these strangers, but not to US." So goes the argument. Perhaps Palin and Obama have done this - but I wouldn't bet on it. Probably they have both given their kids more than the average parent. (I'm not just saying. I really suspect this is true.)
I consider this a non-issue. I'm pretty sure that both candidates are great parents - not giving their kids as much time as they'd like (all of it), but giving them as much as they need.
There was a recent report that women who take 3 years off of work not focusing professional development lose about 40% of their salaries when the return to the workforce. I think this reality HAS to factor into the conversation of why women work with young kids. If not now for Sarah Palin, when? I don't think she's getting to the big top this election, but she is sure in a better position for the 2012 primaries, especially if she continues to do well in Alaska. Perhaps bringing her baby in so soon after she was a born was simply a move to prevent her agenda from getting derailed in her absence.
The choice to work or not too work is personal, but it shouldn't be swept under the rug as too "anti-feminist" for us to engage in any public discourse on the subject. There are too many factors impacting working moms of young kids not to continue to discuss the subject.
I'm not suggesting that either family has given "short shrift" to their kids up to this point. I'm saying that the two highest offices in the land demand 24/7 attention to the job. In addition, there's always a spotlight on the kids. The two older kids in the Palin family have already had to deal with some public scrutiny of their private lives. It's hard to recover from a mistake if everybody in the country knows about it.
Deborah
Both presidents and their running mates have family incomes far, far above the national average. A president's salary is far, far less than that of the top brass in a big corporation. I doubt that salary had much to do with the motivation of either candidate. I don't think that a mom shouldn't work. That's a personal decision that has to be worked out in each family. I do think there are some jobs that are not compatible with raising children.
We've always chosen family over work, and work over salary. Last year my dh took a 25% salary cut and lost partial (half) college tuition waivers for our kids in order to get out of a job that felt like a "cage". For the first six years of our marriage, each of us worked half time. When dh got a full time job, I didn't work for several years until I found something (teaching violin and performing) that was compatible with our homeschooling lifestyle. Now that my oldest child is a college bound senior in a public high school and my two younger children (10 and 14) are pretty much independent learners, I have a flexible half time job and am considering taking a full time night job instead, so that our kids will still always have at least one parent available.
As for the "if not now, when": to put it bluntly, Ms. Palin is qualified only by her ambition. She's charismatic, capable, and politically powerful, but seems to lack the knowledge, judgement, and "moral compass" to be ready for the highest (or second highest) office in the land.
Deborah