April 13, 2012 3:53 PM
Hilary Rosen, Ann Romney, motherhood, you and me
So Hilary Rosen sneeringly tried to take down Ann Romney by saying "She never worked a day in her life." Never mind that Ann raised five sons to manhood - fully productive manhood - and is now seeing the results of her "never having worked a day in her life" when her ever-growing family gathers with intact marriages and grandchildren galore.
The Democrats accused Republicans of declaring War on Women, though they are now lying and saying they never did, the proof is our there for all to see. But the truth is that they have declared War on Motherhood. So strange their antipathy for life. Rather than focusing on the increasingly dangerous world we live in - keeping our nation and our future secure - they are oddly fixated on abortion, sterilization and free birth control for all.
They seem oblivious to the fact that their own pro-abortion slogan/euphemism - "Choice" - is truly the last thing they want for women, as evidenced by their continuing contempt for motherhood in general and stay-at-home moms in particular. They also are curiously adverse to choice when it comes to education, health care (including vaccinations), and big families.
This ran in WeaselZippers yesterday:
Noting the "former" partner, I'm wondering who got custody of the kids? And we're supposed to feel ashamed that we have a presidential candidate who obviously cherishes life and chose to follow the model of traditional families, where the mom sacrifices to better the quality of her family's life?Hilary Rosen: "As a mom I know that raising children is the hardest job there is. . ."
Hilary Rosen and her former partner Elizabeth Birch with their two children Jacob and Anna.
Granted, some mothers have to work - I was a single mother myself for five years. But when Tripp and I married in 1983, even as a rabid feminist, I realized it made more sense to stay home with my children and make the most of those years. I'm grateful I had a husband who was willing to work hard to make that possible. And I have to question with today's tax structure and the costs associated with being a working mom if it's really economic need that drives women to work?
Tripp and I didn't have a plan when we got married. We were pretty poor with my two daughters and expecting a baby in 8 months. Tripp's 25,000 a year/80 hour a week job wasn't going to make it happen. It's a long story, but he ended up picking up the arborist skills he'd learned post high school - at first using our yellow Nissan or hiring a helper who owned a truck until he could save up enough for a truck of his own. An aunt and uncle owned us $4000 to buy a chipper. I created an advertising campaign, answered the phone, did his scheduling and kept his books. For seven years I helped Tripp build his Local-Boy-Makes-Good business. Our family grew, our business grew. Soon we had seven kids and 25 employees.
At that point I bowed out of the business and began homeschooling. Five years later I began writing - juggling both. My sons went to Catholic high school in California (we weren't Catholic, but I wanted them to have a superior education), then In 2002 when we moved to Virginia everyone went to public school.
When Tripp and I get those statements about how much we've paid into the the social security system, we have to laugh. At one time when we owned our company, Tripp was making 200,000/year - although that didn't last long. In the meantime, if you judge my contribution to our family by income statistics, it looks like a big zero.
And yet, I've raised nine children to healthy, productive, emotionally stable and compassionate adulthood - with thanks to the heavy influence in the early years because I chose to homeschool. I'm still raising three special needs children we adopted.
I can look back on the years when I devoted all my time/energy/creativity into helping my husband grow his business and then into educating my children in such a way that I knew they would never be bored but always have a lifelong love of learning.
Eventually my own creativity burst forth - and I see that happen so much with women who surrendered to motherhood and sacrificed for their families. In later years they have so much to offer and God just seems to gift them with a satisfying ministry.
This story is the bare bones. There was drama and tragedy and triumph, inadequacies revealed, learning and growth that took place - a lot of it documented here at MommyLife over the last seven years. As I said in a recent column about my motherhood journey: "I set out to make a home, to grow a family, and to help my children reach their potential. The most amazing thing is that while I was helping them reach theirs, they were helping me reach mine."
I know a lot of us have been lukewarm to Romney, but what I'm seeing is that there is a spiritual battle taking place here that centers around the conflict between those who desire to put our families first and a government that seems completely out of touch with the fact that this is a worthy goal, a government that wants to encroach on the rights of parent and to humiliate women who don't fall in with the party line.
I really want to hear what you have to say. What do you see revealed in your own motherhood history? Are you concerned about the future of motherhood? Do you see us at a turning point? And how have this week's events affected you?
This is a great teachable moment for your children - a good time to sit down with them and talk about what you do and why you do it.
Blessings always for carrying on the most important work in the world!
Posted in Feminism, Mothering | Permalink
Comments
Oh, you were so much more gracious than I was, in blogging on this! (and I really restrained myself). Above all, being with my children around the clock has increased my charity towards others. Honestly! I hope they'll grow up to value this choice in their own biographies. They sure are good company, three girls ages 7, 4 and 2 --- and our lone gentleman, at 11 months. A new arrival in November; thank you for your elegant defense of this choice.
Posted by: Tiffany | April 13, 2012 10:04 PM
This is an example of why I could never be a liberal. Too many weird parameters to have to remember and defend.
If I were to hire a nanny to care for my kids, she would be "working", but if I do the very same job myself, I'm not working.
Only a liberal could make any sense out of that.
Posted by: kelly | April 14, 2012 8:58 AM
Well, this controversy has set me to thinking again about where I am and where we are headed. I'm in my last few fertile years; most of my peers have decided to stop at one or two children, and no longer have toddlers or preschoolers. I wouldn't mind having a couple more babies, and I think we are right where God wants us to be right now, despite all the obstacles placed in our path the past few years.
I very much appreciate what you wrote about being blessed with creative outlets later on. Because right now it seems like my family takes all that I can give them.
Posted by: Peggy | April 15, 2012 8:22 PM
