Fake Mommy Wars: What We Moms REALLY Want

Here is a follow up to my post earlier today about the “mommy wars” from the website, My Brown Baby.  This is the quote that resonated with me:

 But are we women really this politically naïve that we’d toss our valuable vote into the ring of a man who neither understands nor gives two crap-filled diapers about what mothers want? What mothers need? Are we really so politically stupid that we’d let this man, his rich wife and their equally rich-and-out-of-touch cronies distract us from the real issues while we bicker and get all emo over who works harder—women who work solely in the home vs. women who hold down full-time jobs outside the home? When, exactly, do we mothers come together and demand politicians—whether Republican or Democrat, rich or poor, black or white—get down to the real issues that affect us mothers? When do we stop arguing over stupid s**** and start exercising our political might to affect real change?

via Millionaire Ann Romney and the Fake Mommy Wars: What We Moms REALLY Want.

The “Mommy Wars” Don’t Exist

Do we really need this?

By now everyone has heard about Hillary Rosen and the statement she made to Anderson Cooper on his talk show.  As a reminder, here is what she said,

“What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country saying: ‘Well, you know, my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues. And when I listen to my wife, that’s what I’m hearing.  Guess what?  His wife has actually never worked a day in her life.”

And everyone lost their minds.  It didn’t seem to matter that Hillary was talking about Mitt Romney’s economic policies.  No, what people heard was an attack on stay-at-home moms.  Please, stop.

By making this non issue a major news worthy debate, Republican politicans are pulling the old divide and conquer routine.  I believe there is no such thing as the “mommy wars” and here’s why.  Some mothers work outside of the home.  Some work at home.  Whether that decision is make by choice or circumstance, all mothers want the same thing.  We want our families to be safe.  We want access to quality health care (including reproductive health care) and good schools.  We want safe neighborhoods.  And while women are not some monolithic interest group, all mothers make decisions every day that they feel benefit their children.  I don’t think our beef is with each other.

 

There is no such thing as the “mommy wars”.  But there is a war on women.  It seems as if some men in this country want to roll back the clock.  Why are they questioning a woman’s right to affordable health care including contraception, abortion and equal pay for the same job?  Why are issues that were decided years ago in some cases up for debate?  We, as women, need to stay focused on that.