I am fretting deeply about Sarah Palin and the image of a full-time working mom which she brings to the national spotlight. As a working mother I am inspired by her in many ways. But I am afraid the national spotlight will view her as a working "hockey" mom first...polititian second. I think that has already happened. And the skeptic in me thinks that is why she was choosen in the first place - which I resent deeply.
And then again, I wonder, don't I portray myself as a full-time working mother? When I dropped off my daughter at kindergarten today (the first time even though this is her third day) it didn't take more than a couple seconds for the cafeteria monitor to find out that I work.
Monitor: (Looking to my daughter) Do you have any sisters and brothers?
TT: (Peaking out from behind my back) Yes.
Me: She has a sister and a brother.
Monitor: Oh, how old are they?
Me and TT together: 2 and 9 months.
Monitor: Oh wow, mom you have your hands full. You stay at home, yes?
Me: No. I work full time.
Monitor: Around here?
Me: No. In the District. We have an au pair.
Monitor: That's great.
The other monitor: Can you bring me information tomorrow about having an au pair? My daughter works and she just had a baby last month. She has her baby on the daycare waitlist at her work and currently has a spot reserved at the local Goddard school. An au pair might be a wonderful idea for her.
Me: Absolutely. I'd love to!
I have this SAME conversation nearly every single day. Yes, I am a working mother and sometimes the mother identity emerges first in conversation and sometimes the professor identity emerges first.
I put my family information on my CV (just like my dad does) because they are so much a part of who I am. My family is a part of my resume. So, what does it mean for me as a working mother to see a VP candidate who does basically what I do by keeping her family integrated within her working self? It means she has the same conversations I do each and every day. In this way I admire her.
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