re: Parenting and Politics: How Well Do They Mix?

ParentingHelp — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:52:38 GMT

When someone has a child they have a stronger love for their family. They are really concerned about their family unit and their well being. However, they are also more concerned about the outside world and how it will effect their family.

That is why, in the recent election, that I wanted to vote more than I had in the past because I wanted the best candidate serving my country and providing the best for my family.

re: Parenting and Politics: How Well Do They Mix?

Hillary — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:04:00 GMT

Motherhood made me rediscover feminism. I never really stopped being a feminist, but for a long time, I stopped talking about it, stopped raising a fuss over things. Becoming a mother was really empowering for me, especially the physical act of giving birth. (Not to knock adoptive parents or say they can't experience this, but going through labor and watching how amazing the female body affected me.) And then having to deal with the myriad social pressures people put on mothers that they don't put on fathers -- oh, you're not breastfeeding; oh, you're going back to work; oh, you need to leave work early; etc -- well, it just made me angry. I don't have a lot of time for activism, but I am much more vocal about my views.

Also, this is getting long, but as a reporter living about an hour outside DC a few years ago, I saw first-hand the power of the stay-at-home moms. You have to remember, outside DC -- outside any major city -- these stay-at-home moms often are college-educated women used to high-powered, technical jobs. Local activism is important for their family, but it often gives them an outlet for talents they might not have used since choosing to stay home. So often I'd go to these women's houses as a reporter and they'd say to me, young and single and far from parenthood, "I'm not stupid. I used to be a banker (or a lawyer or whatever)." I didn't get it then. I do now.