The Maternal Is Political: Women Writers at the Intersection of Motherhood & Social Change
Edited by Shari MacDonald Strong
Seal Press
352 pgs, $15.95
ISBN: 1-58005-243-6

Something definitely changes when you become MOTHER. Besides all the physical,emotional and mental aspects; the sleepless nights, cranky babies, the thought of being able to fit into your pre-baby jeans. You become more aware of the world and your place in it, of what is happening around you. You see things with a mother’s eye. One of the essays, In Albania, by Mona Gable, captures this new view absolutely. Here she recounts her time in Albania as a reporter during the Kosovo conflict-Balkan wars with the new eyes of a mother: “The lens of motherhood would filter everything I was to witness…..”. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t always agree with the bills that are introduced or passed in our U.S. Congress, but one bill that has quietly passed through the Senate is the Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008.  The basics of the bill are wider provisions on mental health support for our veterans and their families.  What are the mental health issues facing our troops?

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How high does a number need to get before it becomes impressive?  How about 24 million?  What about 3 million? 

There are currently 24 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes.

The past two years has seen an increase of 3 million people in the U.S. with diabetes. 

Check the facts here on the CDC website.  Those numbers are saddening, but what is even more saddening is this little tidbit.

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 I am a walker and sometimes runner.   Growing up in Wisconsin, my father and I would take long walks through neighborhoods.  My father and I love architecture, and we would pick out our favorite houses and describe why it was our favorite.  I suppose these walks were on par with green walking.  What is green walking? 

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I personally believe that Mom activists have a much better chance of having their voices heard because of their motherhood status. Given that we would like decision makers to take us seriously when we ask for or speak out against something, chances are we could make them take notice if we speak as mothers rather as activists.

A few days ago, a group of young people presented murals painted by mothers and children to members of Congress, calling for stronger climate leadership. The murals serve as a sharp reminder to Congress that the American public is ahead of their elected representatives on the issue of climate, and are demanding that Congress step up with strong, science-based policy.

One Sky

“We’ve only got one sky, and we’ve got to make sure it stays clean for our children,” said Gillian Caldwell, mother of two and campaign director for 1Sky, a new collaborative national campaign of more than 60 diverse organizations.

But what led moms and children to make these murals? Read the rest of this entry »

Despite my strong opinions on most things (no!) and apparent urge to share them, I continue to surprise myself by failing repeatedly to attend protests. I also don’t post political signs in my yard. Not for any good reason I can think of - or recall, anyway. Recently, though, I’ve been considering changing my ways - mostly to allow my children to experience protesting, to let them see how it can feel to strongly object to something the larger society supports, to stand up for their beliefs, and to exercise a freedom that I don’t appreciate nearly enough.

I thought about it some more one morning this week when we noticed peace supporters waving anti-war signs (OK, giant bed sheets) about a local peace protest. It took my 4 & 1/2-year-old son less than 10 seconds to start pumping the questions: Mama, why are those people holding those signs? What do they say?

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I love our country’s Bill of Rights (without which our opportunities to SPEAK UP might be a wee bit limited) and am not as regularly thankful for it as I should be. So… thank you, James Madison!

So I was pretty happy the other day when I stumbled across another Bill of Rights, and just like one of the original 13 states, I signed it. Though not with a quill, I must admit, as they did back in 1787. Since it’s electronic, you too can sign this very on-point Work & Family Bill of Rights. How needed is this?? Here’s how it starts:

Families face a shortfall of time and money for care. A majority of America’s children have no one at home full-time to care for them, while others, including the elderly and people with disabilities, increasingly need care. Jobs divide employees into those with high pay, benefits, but long hours and little time for family or leisure, and those with low wages, few benefits, and insufficient flexibility and financial resources to care for their families. We can and should do better. Working families have fundamental rights to financially sustain and to care for themselves and their families. These rights include… Read the rest of this entry »

We workin’ mamas do love to complain about the lack of flexible options in our own and other workplaces (got a 1/2 hour??). Ever dream of working fewer hours to pick the kids up from school yourself, still doing meaningful work that pays the same as your full-time gig? Dying to spend more time doing crafts? Helping with homework? Not pumping?All good stuff that can be awfully challenging within the confines of a conventional 40+ hour work week. So, if you need to work, want to work, whatever your schtick, and you’re seeking more flexibility to tip the scales a bit more toward the home life, one option is job sharing. Or so I’ve heard.

When I returned to full-time work when my first child was three months old, I worked four 10-hour days - ugh. But lucky, lucky for me my husband took the next three months off; he could because he’s self-employed; no health benefits but there are serious upsides - namely flexibility and control over the almighty schedule. At the time there was a whole spread in our local paper about two public school teachers who job shared a classroom. I was amazed. And so jealous. As with anything, of course, there are trade-offs - pros and cons for both the job sharers and their workplace. But I can only imagine because I’ve never known anyone to do it. Which is precisely why I’m asking you!! Read the rest of this entry »

By Ann Bibby

Does anyone remember Ally McBeal? And her therapist? The one who suggested she find a theme song for herself? I have a soundtrack for my life. I think that most people do. Perhaps it’s not appropriate but The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go is my theme music of late.

When I emigrated to Canada not quite a year ago with my then nearly five year old daughter, it was with the understanding that I would be taking the 2008/09 school year off. My husband to be was in a position that allowed me to be a stay at home mother for the first time in my child’s life and my status as an immigrant meant that I couldn’t seek employment until I’d gone through the process of becoming a permanent resident anyway. I was set to work on my writing and be just a wife and mother. Note the order of the aforementioned and the word “just”. Telling is it not?

I came of age in the early 80’s. During the “women can have it all” phase of the movement. I fell in line like so many others. Got my degree. Established my “career”. Married and procreated in my middle 30’s - barely.

And I discovered that I could not “have it all”. Read the rest of this entry »

Not that you have loads of reading time or anything. And not like a report titled Family Values at Work: It’s About Time would, say, make you put down your Wonder Time or Brain, Child magazine (or The New Yorker if you didn’t cancel it like I did to prevent the 3-foot high bedside pile-up!).

That said, you really oughta read it!! It was just published by a group with the inspiring name MultiState Working Families Consortium (eight forward-thinking states - yours?). And it’s all there. The whole conundrum: The problems with caring for sick children, the embarrassing state of maternity leave in our country, the lack of workplace flexibility, the fact that U.S. policies haven’t adjusted to the fact that June Cleaver took her apron off and has a corner office now, and on and on.

An overview of the report should lure you in: Read the rest of this entry »