I (Brian) wanted to weigh in on Cara's post, as at least two people misunderstood her message. If two people have, then I am guessing more have as well.
Cara is in no way criticizing Gov. Palin, working moms, stay-at-home moms, or any combination of either. She is criticizing the media. This is how I interperet Cara's message:
The media loves to tout Palin as a "SuperMom" who was able to raise 5 kids while simultaneously running a state while Dad also worked full-time -- "And no one can recall her ever having a full-time babysitter."
Most of the sound bytes I have heard laud her for doing this, but don't get into the specifics: She keeps her kids with her at work. She has aides to help her both with her job and with her kids.
The problem with this type of rhetoric in the media is that it sets up an extremely unattainable ideal of what it means to be a "SuperMom" for the vast majority of Americans. When a typical working mom hears that Palin is a "SuperMom", whilst knowing that their kid is at daycare, that mom is likely to feel like she is NOT a "SuperMom". On the other hand, when a stay-at-home mom hears the same thing, she is also likely to feel like she is not a "SuperMom" for not juggling work and child.
The reality is that for the vast majority of mothers out there, taking their kids to work is not an option -- let alone having aides to help them. Calling someone who has these luxuries a "SuperMom" is doing a terrible injustice to the rest of the moms out there who are doing their best to juggle their own lives.
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