Oh my. Republican strategist Ana Navarro went negative on stay-at-home Moms on Meet the Press this weekend.
Tim Graham of Newsbusters watches those stupid Sunday shows so we don’t have to. And on MTP, the “moderate” Republican Navarro compared working mothers and stay-at-home Moms, saying working moms “lean in” to work while stay-at-home moms “lean back…on a rocking chair with a mint julep.”
Whoa.
She also said that those women who stay at home are “kept women.” Seriously. That’s what she said.
You can read the transcript at Newsbusters.
One of the things that’s shocked me over the last few years is the level of animosity and ignorance towards stay-at-home parents. I’m a Dad who stays home with his children. I’ve met a number of people who just don’t know what to make of me. I’ve actually had well intentioned people wish me a “Happy Mother’s Day.”
I’ve also had many people make all sorts of nasty comments toward me concerning my staying at home with the kids. When people ask what I do I could tell them I write for all sorts of publications. Instead, I just tell them I’m a stay-at-home Dad because to be honest that’s my paramount responsibility. I’ve spoken with so many women who seem so apologetic about being a Mom. I’ve seen many many times when people ask a Mom what she does, they don’t say they’re stay-at-home Moms. Instead they say what it was they used to do and then they inform the person that they’re now at home with the kids. They seem embarrassed about it. I guess it’s probably because there’s no requirements to become a parent so they want to show that they’re accomplished. They could just whip out their kids’ report cards or say that their kids say “please” and “thank you” about 76% of the time. That would be proof of rock star motherhood.
I tell people that I’m such a terrible parent that I’m not good enough to supply my children with quality time so I make up for it with quantity time. I say I’m not as good a parent as others so I need to stay home with them to make up for my deficiencies.
But I’ve found that kids can’t really schedule their need for affection. My kids do random hugs. You can’t schedule “quality” hugs. I’ll supply them, whenever and wherever they want – no questions asked. I get a lot of them. And if they get a bruise or a scrape I’m there with ice or band-aids. Quantity time. I know it’s not all the rage but it works for me and mine.
Oh and one more thing. I’ve been staying at home with the kids for years and the last thing we actually do is stay home so I’m not even sure why it’s called that. And I’ve never even had a mint julep either.
June 4, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Can I put her in a room with my exhausted stay-at-home daughter? Please, pretty please?
June 4, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Oh. Is that what we were supposed to be doing? And here I've been wasting my time with the laundry.
Well, no more!
I'm mixing up the mint juleps now and inviting my fellow slackers to come on over and hang out. If you can heave yourself out of your rocking chair first.
June 4, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Wait. I don't have a rocking chair. Should I go out and get one? Sounds like too much work. I'll…just…fall asleep…on…….couch….
June 4, 2013 at 5:05 pm
You really should get a rocking chair, they are boss
June 4, 2013 at 5:59 pm
I'll be right over. Finally, I know now what I've been doing wrong all these years. I've been Mint Julepless.
June 4, 2013 at 6:02 pm
http://www.drink007.com/2012/05/mint-julep.html
June 4, 2013 at 6:38 pm
God help us to suffer the ignoramuses.
June 4, 2013 at 6:39 pm
I am now a stay at home grandmother after graduating from stay at home mom. Here's my question, what do these people think the "day care" people are doing? Are they working? It's the same job, no?
So a baby sitter who does half of what a mother does with less enthusiasm is working , but the mother, who does twice as much with love, and , yes, I'm going to say it, produces a better product, is not working?
I'll take " not working" thank you. And I'll say it again in case any one missed it, my kids had a better upbringing than their latchkey companions . I know because I was there.
June 4, 2013 at 7:23 pm
1. The repubs hired a feminist from the DNC to counter their weakness with females. A good move on their part. They are a political party. Values are meaningless.
2. I a bit of a broken record here, but Catholics are NOT represented by either party. Did you think they shared our values? Cute!
June 4, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Well, she was right about the mint juleps. And I just leaned back so far I fell of my chair.
Guess it's time for a real job.
June 4, 2013 at 8:54 pm
This is really funny to me because I actually have been enjoying some lovely mint juleps lately, on my porch and out in the garden. Awesome mint crop this year with all the rain and cool weather. After years of apologizing for staying home with my kids and doing tons of menial labor, I'm not ashamed to admit there are some pretty cool perks, too. I am totally convinced there is no better life than enjoying both hard work and ample leisure with my 8 kids. Nothing wrong with that.
June 4, 2013 at 10:21 pm
As another stay-at-home parent I'll gladly invite anyone who thinks its a walk in the park to try it. When the wife and I swapped roles EVEYBODY came down with a virus (no, not my cooking either). So I spent the first two weeks as "Mr. Mom" cleaning up vomit and diarrhea (did I mention our two cats were sick also? Hairballs to the max.). Things lightened up a bit since then, but its still a daily adventure into the unknown.
Now excuse me, the chocolate chip muffins are ready to come out of the oven and my daughter needs a bath for her kindergarten graduation ceremony tonight.
Mint juleps and a rocking chair? Yeah, right!
June 5, 2013 at 2:32 am
I find that, if women aren't willing to do what was traditionally called women's work, they just can't value it properly. Ana is a case in point. Apparently she can't even appreciate the work that goes into a quality mint julep. She thinks she'll just order out. She'll get a 32oz mint flavored 'julep' made with high fructose corn syrup and start crying about 'where all the good men are' even if she is married because, if she is, she will have married what she thought was the more successful male version of herself, and that will suck, because she is an idiot. So, she's either single or has a bigger idiot at home and meanwhile, there ain't a halfway decent homecooked meal in sight. She has nothing authentic.
June 5, 2013 at 12:26 pm
I used to work in a school that provided extended day care. Do you know how many working parents brought their kids to daycare when they themselves actually had the day off? I also know a woman who routinely takes her kids to daycare when she has the day off. Deep down these people know how much work it is to actually take care of your children all day. It is wonderfully rewarding but it *is* hard work, no doubt about that. P.S. I don't own a rocking chair, I've never had a mint julep, and I've been home with my kids since day one. And, yes, I even have a college degree. : )
June 5, 2013 at 2:47 pm
I never would trade places with my wife, except for more time with the kids. She works too hard.
June 5, 2013 at 2:55 pm
I went back and forth with Ms. Navarro on Twitter yesterday about the mint julep comment. She was in full media relations mode, reiterating over and over that she's about supporting everyone's choices, which she did say after the mint julep comment. But she refused to acknowledge that anyone could be insulted or hurt by the insinuations in the throwaway comment. You just can't talk to some people.
June 5, 2013 at 5:10 pm
Lean back?! Whatever. I sure don't have time to lean anywhere during the day; I barely have time to sit. There is not a better job in this world than stay at home mom. Sure it is a load of hard work, mostly unacknowledged, but the rewards are priceless. And heck yeah, after a long day of cleaning, cooking, organizing, errand-running, car-lines, car-pools, sports practice, homework, dinners, baths, and bedtime I am totally going to have a mint julep on the front porch.
If a woman who works outside the home had a drink after work would anyone have a comment? The only difference is my "work clothes" are yoga pants and a baseball cap 95% of the time.
June 5, 2013 at 8:32 pm
I suspect that Navarro could not keep up with the average stay-at-home mother's schedule even if she was chain-drinking espresso. We are chronic multi-taskers with several 'bosses' dogging our footsteps like a tiny little army of cuteness and mess. We give affection in abundance and pray endlessly for patience all while trying to remind ourselves that we really should stop a moment and relax (but alas there is a pile of dishes taunting me from my counter and the mini-me's only sleep so long). It overwhelming and daunting, more so than any 'office job' I had…and more rewarding than any paycheck could ever be. I am a strong, vocal, stay-at-home mother teaching my kids what I value by being there. Each day, every day, I am blessed to be there.
June 10, 2013 at 6:04 pm
I work harder and sit less (about 8 hours a day less) now that I'm a stay-at-home than I did when I was "gainfully" employed. Personally, I think the reason so many of my peers work in an office is because they know they don't have the stamina to be a stay-at-home.