What’s up?
Hybrid Mom magazine wrote an interesting review of the book The War On Moms. Who, but a privileged few, can’t relate to this:
(Sharon) Lerner’s stories have convinced us there really is a war on moms—or at least a disregard for them. The mom to a special needs baby whose supervisor wouldn’t give her three weeks off, so she was forced to quit; the mother who cannot cover the cost of daycare and scrambles every morning for family members or friends who can watch her daughter; the daycare administrators who cannot keep skilled providers at their centers—which are filled with 20 children to every employee—because it doesn’t pay enough.
It’s these stories, woven with facts and stats, that tell us that the system is clearly broken. When we hear about Sweden’s drool-worthy maternal program and the fact that a Croatian immigrant would rather return to her country for its more-substantial mother and infant care—we know something’s wrong.
It sounds like Lerner’s book offers suggestions, too, like a program in New Mexico that offers some mothers financial assistance to stay home with their children. Hillary Clinton proposed a similar program on the national level. But that hasn’t gone anywhere, and childcare subsidies are actually being cut in the current recession.
It does sometimes feel like this country is setting up mothers to fail, huh? The comments in the Hybrid Mom thread were thoughtful, too.
My friend, Peggy Reskin, wrote about empty-nest syndrome now that her 26-year-old daughter and boyfriend moved out of the house.
MomsRising.org ran videos of members of Congress answering commonly asked questions about healthcare reform such as the provision allowing young people to remain on their parents’ insurance until they are 26, coverage for moms with postpartum depression and other mental health issues, and coverage for special needs children.
The post office, which is barely holding on in the recession, plans to increase postage stamps to 46 cents in January, according to the Associated Press.
My apologies for not being active in the threads this weekend. I am in Tahoe with DH and the kids, as Markos is doing death ride this weekend.
What else is in the news? What’s up with you?
