At the core of Ms. Palin's spin is the notion that she's just like me. Just an average mom. A PTA mom who shoots caribou. To speak plainly? The anti-Mediocre Mama.
If Ms. Palin were like me she'd hate hockey and dread the wasted days at soccer games that are to come. If Ms. Palin were like me she wouldn't have mustered up the courage to have 2 kids, let alone 5. If Ms. Palin were like me she would have ruffled the feathers of a few PTA members a mere 2 weeks into the start of school. She wouldn't have time to even go to PTA meetings because she'd be too busy at work, trying to squeeze in time to actually play with the 1 kid she has, and riffling through the freezer for leftovers to find something decent to put in front of that kid to eat.
If Ms. Palin were like me she would have taught her daughter about condoms, how they protect against pregnancy and STD's. She'd have taken her to the gynecologist, no questions asked, to get her birth control if she asked for it. You question that I would do that for my daughter? I learned it by watching my mother; she must have been a mediocre mama, too.
She'd have shown her daughter stretch marks and told her about the hemorrhoids associated with pregnancy, not to mention the gas, bloating and six months without sex (now that's abstinence). She'd have awakened her daughter every hour-and-a-half an kept her awake for the next hour and then sent her to school the following morning to spend a full day awake, you know...just to get the message across. She'd show have shown her that there are options and what a great country we live in that we have such freedom. She'd have shown her how shitty a 9 month pregnant girl would look in a cheerleader's outfit.
If Ms. Palin were like me, when her daughter announced her pregnancy, she might have laid low. If offered a highly visible job she might have waited, figuring that she's only 44 and such offers might come again in the future. And no, she would not have turned down the nomination out of her own embarrassment about her daughter, but because she'd have been too worried about how the press might embarrass her daughter.
But Ms. Palin is not like me. Let's face it, she's just not a Mediocre Mama. She's a hockey mom, and can obviously stomach sitting through an entire match. Not only does she not ruffle feathers at the PTA, she's the PTA President. She doesn't have just 1 child, she has 5, one of them with special needs. She's not only against sex-education, she believes that teaching abstinence leads to fewer pregnancies and is against a woman's right to choose. And to boot, Ms. Palin is a strong disciplinarian. What kind of a mediocre mama could have come up with a punishment as good as parading her pregnant teenage daughter before the world stage to be blogged about by assholes such as myself?
No, Ms. Palin is not like me. And perhaps that's why I can't relate to her.
Ms. Palin is no Mediocre Mama, to be sure. But given my contempt and disdain for Momtourage Moms she was never likely to capture my vote. So she shouldn't feel bad. I wouldn't vote for any of those bitches either.
9 comments:
YES!!!! Well done!!!
Amen, sister, and boy howdy!
Exactly thank-you! All week I have not been able to get enough of Sarah Palin. I wanted to find out as much I as I could about this woman. I was so curious to know what kind of mother decides that it would be a great idea to run for vice-president and expose your pregnant teenage daughter to the intense media attention. Is she that naive to think her daughter's pregnancy would be ignored or is she so blind by her own rise to power she could give a shit. Shall I even mention the baby she just had with down syndrome? I strongly admire women who have successful careers and at the same time are able to raise children-kudos to you all. I guess it was not enough for Sarah Palin to have five children, pregnant teen and special needs baby among the bunch, and be the governor of Alaska all at the same time. Did she think those things would just take care of themselves? I mean for a woman so intent on the right to life perhaps she should be a little more vested in the lives of her children. Excuse the sexism, but it seems to me she is the kind of mother who would rather prove herself to the Good Ole' Boys than prove herself to her children
I loved reading your blog. I have trouble making peace with Palin's decision to seek higher office with her family in such turmoil, and I would have the same issues with a male candidate seeking that position at such an obviously difficult time. And while I am on my least favorite topic, I might as well add how disgusted I was by her "speech" at the RNC. Instead of taking the opportunity to tell us about where she stood on the issues, things we as Americans actually want to know about, she spoke about herself, her family, her running mate, and of course her utter disdain for Barack Obama. That last part is what really got me. As moms, don't we try to teach our kids that "if they don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all;" and "treat others the way you would like to be treated?" What a fine example Sarah set for her children and mine. I accept being critical of a person's stance on an issue, or questioning their experience , but she took it way over the line. Suggesting that Obama was on some journey of self-discovery and that his experience as a community organizer was not valid, struck me as smug, callous and immature. I kept having to remind myself that I was watching the actual VP nominee, not Tina Fey impersonating her on SNL. Shame on you Sarah Palin. You sure don't represent this American mom.
I think Sarah's a great mom - if her 17 year old gets pregnant that's the daughter's fault and responsibility. People think a mother should not run for office if she has kids or one of them has a baby? That's absurd. Sarah appears to be someone who can hanlde the pressure.
The mistake Sarah and people like her make is the abstinence thing: it backfires. You have to make sure your daughters have all the information, birth control if they want it, Guardasil shot, realistic advice, etc. And knowledge that a pregnancy will make the girl's life very difficult for years. Not hiding any facts or preaching something contrary to human nature. I agree with Sarah on - not killing unborn babies - and on gun rights (so people can protect their families!), and on drilling for energy everywhere. I think she could be president in January 2013, because McCain is unlikely to have a 2nd term, due to health. Sarah on the other hand is a tireless Mom who can multitask in a way I perhaps as a male cannot do. As VP she would have tons of help from all the staff she needs. Her kids would be well looked after. She would be able to spend quality time with them - maybe more than she can now - because of the people around her to help her. She will VP not POTUS (yet) so she is under slightly less time pressure than McCain.
If Al Gore's kids were the same situation when he became VP in 03 few would be asking the same questions, partly because he is a man and partly because he's a Democrat. Some of this palin criticism is people who disagree with here stand on issues looking for any excuse not to like her.
Its not men holding the glass ceiling in place its the feminists holding women back.
Jim -
I think you're missing the core of what I'm saying. Nowhere did I call her a bad mother. I think quite the contrary. All I said that she is different from me. And if you'd reach further than the first post on my blog I think you would well agree.
Ms. Palin is trying to reach people like me as "the average mom." She's even using her PTA experience as a qualification. SHE'S doing it, not the others. If Biden premised his qualifications on the same notion then I'd examine him as a parent too. And if Al Gore had put his campaign platform on qualifications such as a boy scout troup leader for his kids I would examine that as a qualification too.
The point of this blog is not to call out who's a good mom or a bad one (if you read the rest of my blog and not just this one post, you would see that I am a self-proclaimed mediocre mama). The point of this blog is to discuss parenting, usually my own parenting. And no one is discussing her own parenting more than Sarah Palin. And THAT is why she is relevant to this blog.
If her tag line is, "vote for me because I'm an average hockey mom" then she's put her mothering on the table to be scrutinized. Just as ANY candidate puts their credentials on the line the moment they raise it.
And like I said, for a woman who is reaching out to Mom's like me (can you see those cracks in the ceiling), all that I am saying is that she for sure has proven herself to be nothing like me.
--MM
PS, Jim - Al Gore, definitely did not become VP in 03.
Fair enough. I like the concept of your blog 'mediocre Mom' because no one should expect to be perfect, no one is, as I am not a perfect dad either. Sarah Palin seems incredible as a Mom, on the surface, (despite the kid preggo thing, thats just life). But she's not perfect either. No one who strives to be perfect at everything will be happy, its impossible. We all do the best we can with our kids.
It is possible Sarah is overreaching. We'll see.
I think Sarah is a refreshing change in politics and if she feels she can achieve greater good in her eyes as to what she thinks she can help McCain achieve - then its a noble thing, her family making yet more sacrifices to this end. We don't know what its like for her and her family, maybe its hell living with her. maybe they are all for her.
What prompted me to post was disagreeing with the notion that Sarah Palin running for VP somehow exposes the 17 year old daughter to unfair attention. Attention yes, unfair no. Or that the Downs son needs lots of her attention. Thats true but its not like he'll be left alone in a room.
Normally I would look askew on a parent that works 80 hours a week and almost never sees their kids. This is a special case as this job affects millions of people, even as VP.
And that Gore thing was a typo, the 0 is too close to the 9. lol
Excuse, I have removed this message
It is remarkable, rather amusing idea
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