Strollerderby : Daily Kos

Political Bullying in Elementary Schools

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:34:00 GMT

What would you do if you found out that a little girl was telling your child, “His name is Obama bin Laden” and, “It’s not Hilary—it’s Hitlery”? A writer on the blog Daily Kos, who is one of few Democrats in a Texan town, was faced with this dilemma when her eight-year-old daughter Abigail reported that one of her classmates was repeatedly making these comments. This was around the time that Abigail’s class was voting for president in the Scholastic presidential election.

Darcy writes, “I doubt if the little girl even knows who Osama bin Laden or Hitler are, but my kid does. She is upset about the comments, and I am stunned.”

Darcy’s husband wanted Abigail to learn to deal with the taunts herself, but Darcy ultimately decided to speak with Abigail’s teacher. The teacher, according to Darcy, “decided to use the incident as a teaching moment to address mudslinging.” (For what it’s worth, the mudslinging didn’t seem to help McCain in this third grade classroom: Obama won 17-5.)

I think Darcy did the right thing. No matter what your political affiliation is, that kind of hateful speech has no place in schools. By making mudslinging into a classroom dialogue, the teacher had a chance to teach the bullying girl and other students just what it means to call someone Hitler or bin Laden.

Do you think that hateful comments about political figures count as bullying? Was the mother right to go to the teacher with her concerns?

The Kids Have Voted!

Political Nanny: Elizabeth Edwards Supports Husband, Wants Privacy

Madeline Holler — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:04:00 GMT

Elizabeth Edwards has posted comments on her husband's affair -- and how it is being reported on -- in her Daily Kos diary.

You can read the full entry here. This is how she begins:

Our family has been through a lot. Some caused by nature, some caused by human weakness, and some – most recently – caused by the desire for sensationalism and profit without any regard for the human consequences. None of these has been easy. But we have stood with one another through them all. Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him.

She knew about the affair after it ended in 2006 and said, as a couple, the began he healing process. She said the painful process was oddly made easier with her diagnosis in March 2007. She also does not believe allegations that John fathered a daughter with Rielle Hunter.

Political Nanny: Edwards Admits He Cheated on Elizabeth

Photo: HarryWalker.com

Pot Smokin' Mama Gets the People Talkin'

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:50:00 GMT

Babble's "I'm a Better Mother When I'm Stoned" has predictably sparked many discussions across the blogosphere. According to the Editor's Note, the "Bad Parent" series (and Babble) "is committed to showing parenting as it really is, rather than as it should be" --an admirable (though unenviable) task.

Writer L.J. Wilson assumes there are plenty of people who will "...believe anyone who gets stoned while caring for a child should receive a visit from child protective services." And surprisingly, that's not (mostly) what people say about her particular brand of Mommy's Little Helper.

On The Daily Kos, La Maestra understands her need for a little helper and most of her readers agree.
The Ravin Picture Maven is a little less supportive of the concept, but still rather circumspect.
Nataly at Work It Mom asks "How Far Will you Go to Destress" and her commenters resoundingly agree that a drink is ok (only ONE?) but pot is not.
Chicago Chick at the Chicago Moms Blog heartily disagrees: Her title says it all ("Are You Out of Your Ever-Lovin Mind?")

Interestingly, most people appear to be more concerned about marijuana's illegal status than the effects of the drug on one's parenting skills (though that comes into play here too). I was surprised by the number of parents who emphatically declared that they never drink in front of their kids (don't they get thirsty?)

Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. If you do anything to extreme while watching your children (including drinking, swearing, and smoking weed), it's probably not a good idea. And even though I'm not convinced that parenting is *so* stressful it requires mind altering assistance via glass or plant, I do get what she's going for here. She's trying to be a good mother. She's found something that helps her do that. And it seems to work.