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The Politics of Family- The Sad Redundancy of History

The politics of Family- History and its Redundancy

Peg Ashman: Posted on Sunday, April 15, 2012 5:47 PM

If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.

In my last posting I referenced my deep appreciation for researching the history of my birth family and the family that raised me.

In researching my ancestors I found it common to discover that within an immediate family there were some who fought and died for the confederacy during the civil war and some who fought and died for the union. Just as there are family members who were slave owners and others in my family who became judges in their county seats and worked tirelessly to ensure the rights of people of all colors. It simply boggles the mind what chaos must have been wrought within the oft delicate webbing of my relatives familial fabric. This of course was the same for your family and all of that chaos spilled out into communities. Such angst. And to think how offended we get over the holiday table and the ill advised subjects broached? Sheesh! Can you imagine? Well Thanksgiving is off this year because we are fighting on opposite sides!

This week of course, we had a pundit share her thoughts on Mrs. Romney's understanding of working as she, Mrs. Romney has been a stay at home Mom. I have little doubt that Ms. Rosen did not accurately state her thoughts and it opened up the can of worms that was blasted on every electronic device from here to everywhere. And we were off to the races. I fear the political season is way too long for all of us on any side already. I am considering a complete fast from news/politics. Bring on the cartoons! But before I do...

I have a few thoughts on the matter despite the fact that we probably do not need any more! Ha!

I am a Mom who has worked outside of the home and a Mom who has also stayed at home and I can point to definitive pros and cons to both. I believe that Ms. Rosen was meaning to say that it may be easier to be the kind of parent we all aspire to be when we are able, via our economic situation and/or support network to have assistance. A bit of time to grocery shop alone and have the occasional day off, the cleaning service come in when it would be easier to simply move than tackle the Spring cleaning, the amazing grace when you can consider preparing the evening meal without wondering where you will find the means and ingredients to prepare one. I believe there are other considerations as well. I freely admit that I have not always felt appreciated in my role as Mother whether I stayed home or was out working. The hours are long and there is no schedule, the worry is constant regardless of the ages of your children and once these little bundles become teenagers? Well, let's not start as none of us have that kind of time. I would wager however, that there have been many times when my sweetheart has wondered if I truly understood the complex nature of his day and how much he thinks of us and how important it is to him that we are happy and well taken care of.

Rather than focus on the myriad of unfortunate thoughts and views and misspoken statements for the next several months, perhaps we can decide that it is our children that matter most. Let us decide that as parents we want to decide to end childhood hunger. The richest nation in the world and so many of our children go to bed hungry and wonder what food will be available to them next. This is worthy of discussion in my humble view. The rest is just providing ratings for networks and discord among those who can and should be finding solutions to the bigger problems of our day. We are the solution. Each one of us.

At the end of the day I would hope that we value all parents. If we can lend support to struggling parent/s and offer the night off or be a sounding board we should embrace the opportunity. Particular consideration should be given to single parents who often feel isolated and disenfranchised and guilty. Guilt is every parents middle name and we should empower one another. If you are lucky enough to be parenting with a partner? Don't forget to acknowledge all that they do both seen and unseen. It will make magic bits of light and love in all of our homes.

Namaste.

p.s. I LOVE DENMARK! Thank you for reading my little blog. Los Gatos, CA? Hello! Mountain View, CA? Thank you for being on board. Jamaica, NY I so appreciate your continued support. Welcome the new readers from France and Romania. Whether you are one state away or across the globe, I love googling where you live and seeing the photos and reading all about it. Wish we could all meet for lunch. Confidential to London, Woking, ByFleet etc. The handsome and witty Mr. A., and I watched The Iron Lady last evening. Loved it. I am wondering if you felt it was an accurate portrayal. I thought Meryl Streep was riveting. Ciao!

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The Politics of Family- The Sad Redundancy of History

The politics of Family- History and its Redundancy