Focusing on what’s important

Focusing on what’s important

In a more genteel age, mothers told their sons and daughters, “never discuss politics or religion.”

Today it seems almost impossible to get through a day without discussing politics and religion.

Over the past couple of weeks the hot topics have included whether mothers who stay at home with their children “work,” whether wealthy mothers who stay home with their children know what it’s like to work and whether poor women who stay home with their children have a work ethic unless they’re forced to leave their children and find an outside job. All the questions can be answered with one word: yes.

Religion entered the recent motherhood debate over whether a woman who happens to be the domestic partner of another woman can be a real mother. Yes, just as much as any woman who loves, teaches, sacrifices for and loses sleep over her child.

And then there’s Time magazine’s entry in this year’s motherhood debate, with a provocative cover photo of a young mother breast feeding her 31/2 year old child. Does “attachment parenting” with all that phrase implies and includes make a woman a better mother or worse? We‘re not going to touch that question with a one-word answer.

Perhaps for one day, we should follow that sage advice to avoid discussing religion and politics and concentrate on just three words for the women in our lives: Happy Mother’s Day.