I stay out of politics. Or I mostly stay out of it. I also have an opinion that once a President is picked, slamming him over and over again isn't necessarily helpful. (My husband disagrees.)
But this video of President Obama basically saying that the decision for a mom to give up her career and stay home with her children is a bad one, hurt my feelings.
I had to share.
During a speech in Rhode Island today, President Obama called for more taxpayer-spending on pre-school in order to "make sure that women are full and equal participants in our economy" and said the following:
Sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that’s not a choice we want Americans to make.
Watch the video here:
10 comments:
I've heard that apparently he misspoke and meant that it's not a choice we want women to HAVE TO make. Which makes more sense when you see the whole speech in context.
I agree with the above poster. I think you misunderstood what he was saying. I'm no Obama fan mind you, but I think he was saying that he wanted women to have the CHOICE. Some women would RATHER work. I think that's all there is too it. But I could be wrong of course.
Sorry I don't think I misunderstood at all. He is saying he wants women to have the hooch, but he is definitely saying that staying home means that my career is hurt and implying quite profusely that my kids would be better in preschool than at home with me.
Wendi
Should have said choice instead of hooch.
If he misspoke that would make a difference of course!
Wendi
I deleted the comment above because it was written very unkindly. I do not have TV and I don't watch the news and I have read nothing about this video or what it said or why it said it so I am not being mislead or guided by conservative bias.
I recognize that I am a doctor's wife and that I GET a choice to stay at home. I don't need to be insulted with the fact that we are in the upper tier of society.
However, what he said, DOES say that staying home is inferior and that he would rather my child be in public school. I can't take it any other way. If you interpret it differently I RESPECT that and I am not insulting anyone who disagrees. I was, however, as a stay-at-home mom, insulted by his comment.
If he misspoke and has said so, I respect mistakes and the admission of them and would totally understand. I can't imagine being President and having to get everything "just right."
I am also NOT an idiot. I understand that some moms HAVE to work or even CHOOSE to work and I totally respect that decision. However, for me staying at home is noble and this made me feel like it was an inferior choice.
If you'd like to reply KINDLY, I will gladly leave your comment up -- even if it disagrees.
Wendi doesn't need to watch the whole speech to know what the president is really saying. He has made his agenda pretty clear over the past months/years. Although his comment about stay at home moms irritated and saddened me, I also think this is about another issue...The president once again taking more of our money to do what he has decided is the "best" for kids. Public, government run preschools are not necessarily the best option for children (and we don't even need to start a debate on it...we all know that there are varied opinions about that). What upsets me is that the decision my husband and I made as the best for our family (to quit my professional career, give up my income and future earning potential and subsequently alter our lifestyle to be a one income family) is 1) not respected and 2) affected even more because the government wants to push it's agenda of giving free "preschool", which really should be called daycare, to anyone who made the opposite choice as us. I really don't think we should be responsible for funding other peoples choices! Just like I didn't expect any favors when we made our choice.
Anyone who knows us, knows we support multiple ministries to help the under served (and that is not to toot my own horn because a lot of people do that). This is not about the true poor. I want my money to go through these ministries such as my church to help with education, not through government run programs that will teach things that I don't believe.
I am praying for the president as he finishes out his term and am also praying for our next leader...that he might be an old-fashioned family man, because I really think our country needs a new direction.
Wendi has been pretty clear in the past (I think even on this blog) about her respect for working moms. I know her as well as anyone and I know that she would never put something on her blog that's insulting to other moms. It's just not how she operates.
I think her big issue with this was not about working moms at all, but feeling as though the POTUS thinks that staying home is somehow an inferior choice. Her issue with this wasn't a republican or democratic issue, but a mom issue.
So, yay for working moms.! But yay for SAHMs too!
Sarah
I agree that when you look at the context of the President's speech, it is clear that he misspoke. I have no doubt that the President respects women who choose to stay home to raise their children. It's really unfortunate that more families can't afford to have one parent stay home (I work with several women who would love to stay home but simply can't afford to). I think there are also a lot of women who want to pursue a career and either don't have children because they don't want to give up their professional life, or they may stay home because daycare costs more than they make in the workplace.
Basically, what I'm saying is that I don't think the President was in any way trying to comment on women who choose to stay home because they want to. He was commenting on women who want to have a profession outside the home, but can't afford daycare so they have to stay home. Its a message of providing opportunities for women who want it, not knocking stay at home mom's.
Sherrie I totally respect if he did indeed misspeak and agree with everything you said.
I also, Rachel, agree with you, that our government is putting more and more effort to get kids into preschools younger and younger at taxpayers expense and these schools are not solving our country's problems. The percentage of people homeschooling continues to jump exponentially because people are unhappy with the public school systems education quality,
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