Gov. Palin: Is Not Taking Maternity Leave a Conservative Value?

I'm intrigued by Senator McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his runningmate. I, like most Americans outside of Alaska, had never heard of Governor Palin before the media hoopla began. I understand that McCain expects Gov. Palin's conservative background to boost his appeal to the base of the Republican party. She is a member of the NRA and she is pro-life.

When I read that her infant son, born just last spring, has Down syndrome, that caught my attention. I have three children with autism. We mothers of special needs kids share a tight bond. So I did a bit of Googling. Then I read an article from the Anchorage Daily News that said she did not plan to take maternity leave after his birth. What? With that, our bond loosened.

Now I'm thinking about what it takes to be Vice President of the United States. The days of clocking into the White House at 9am and toddling back home to the Admiral's House at the Naval Observatory at 5pm and attending funerals are long gone. Cheney has set the standard for a fully involved VP - regardless of what you think of him. So how does a mother of five children, especially one with special needs, accept the nomination for a job that will put her within a heartbeat of the Presidency and take yet take her away from the five heartbeats of her family for at least four years and still be considered conservative? If she were a Democratic nominee, wouldn't the religious right be attacking her already?

I believe in a woman's right to any career she desires. Yet as a mother of kids whose needs have taken precedence over my career for over a decade, I know the realities of special needs parenting. And I find myself asking a question that makes me feel like Donna Reed: Once you've chosen to have five children, and your infant has special needs, who needs you more, your family or your job? And if I can ask this touchy, old fashioned question, I wonder if conservatives will warm to a woman willing to make such a profound family sacrifice.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate

Comments

[phillie04]

First of all, Todd Palin took a leave of absence from his work for several weeks to be with the baby. Sarah went back to work, but guess what, took her baby with her to work. She spent money out of her pocket to have her office ready. Did the baby spend all day at the office, no, that is why Todd took several weeks off.

I take serious offense to anybody who doesn't think a dad can't stay home with a baby. Not all babys can or are breast fed. Somebody has to work and make the money. Sometimes women make more than their husbands. Yes women can take maternity leave, unless they went back to school. My wife was only allowed 1 week from her school, my work gave me the man, 6 weeks off.

I'm sure the Palin family will be moving to Washington D.C. She will see her kids daily, unless she is flying to another country.

Does a president have to put their country before their family?????

[speakyourmind]

Kim, you took the words right out of my mouth. My thoughts exactly.

[TrooAmerican]

{"If she were a Democratic nominee, wouldn't the religious right be attacking her already?"}

--- yes thats true.

i've never seen a lack of hypocrisy from anyone on the GOP's side of things. Religious or not.

[Berettasskeeter]

The Religious Right is not some monolith that you can predict. Since many, many people have to work to make ends meet, many people who believe in the Mom staying home find they have no choice. And feminists have insisted that they leave the children as useless weights holding them back, as everybody knows! We have, as yet, no idea how she balances family and work. I suggest you all remember your adherence to feminist values, and hold your judgement, lest you make fools of yourselves.
Semper fi

[mjhawes]

Feminist thinking or not, I too was astounded to hear that a woman with five children - one of them with very special needs - thinks she can just leave them thousands of miles away in Alaska while she serves as the VP of the USA. Even allowing for a superwoman energy level, this seems impossible. I understand the husband will now be home full-time, which is essential in my opinion. Do the math - the 17 yeard old daughter became pregnant right about the time that her mother had her fifth child and was the governor of a state. How much time do you think she spent with this girl? I realize teenagers can't be watched constantly to prevent them from having sex, but plugged in parents monitoring their activities and helping them to focus on future plans that would be jeopardized by an unplanned pregnancy are part of the effective parenting package, for all five of her kids. The photos of the daughter holding the baby brother make me think of only one thing - babies having babies.

[happycat]

Great article.

[boddhisatva66]

Who am I to judge her as a mother, that is the road she must walk, and live with her decisions and how they affect all of her children...I would rather make note that her husband works for BP. Which is one of the largest OIL COMPANIES in the world...IN­TERESTING.
She is in the middle of an abuse of power investigation known as troopergate, and has only been governor for a very short time...INTERESTING.

We must all really think about OUR decisions and HOW they will AFFECT OUR CHILDREN, No way, No how, No McCain!

[ruthinking]

A regular working mother does what she has to do. I was able to take 3 months maternity leave. Then I worked from 7 to 3:30 p.m., putting aside career advancement. But Sarah Palin did not have the problem of hard choices, including in her decision to have the baby. That is because she has the money to pay someone else to do the mothering.

[Jadedelight]

Her husband is quite capable of being the parent 'at home'. That being said, I sincerely hope she will never get near the White House.

[SDSL]

My heart goes out to every woman who has a special needs child. I am a mother, a feminist, a woman who will have three careers (one being mother and civic volunteer). I am also a Democrat who thinks the Palin choice is a huge mistake. No true Hillary supporter will switch parties for McCain, because Hillary stands for women in all their power, including the power of medical choice. No true conservative woman or man will automatically approve of Palin's choice to seek her ambition away from her children. No matter who takes care of Palin's children, the truth is - it isn't her. Why do people have children anyway? Are they useful for political props, or for the anti-choice vote? The calculation goes like this - Mrs. Palin carries her Downs child to term = automatic qualification for the second highest job in the land. Delivering a child is one step - as you know, there are many steps from there. Steps that she will have to miss. Through history, men have also missed the important milestones in their children's lives and they have been part-time caretakers. True conservatives would be hypocritical not to take this into consideration, but raising children has always been discounted by the patriarchy. As long as the patriarchy (newest member being Sarah Palin) can control their women, all is well. Family values is a code word for patriarchal control of women. Wise people know that a vote for Palin is a vote against

[OtayPanky]

Look...you're pro-Obama, or pro-Dem, or pro-lefty or whatever.

Me too.

So let me give you a clue here: this doesn't help. Not in any way. Not even a little bit.

She and her husband are playing the cards life dealt them as best as they can, just like you are (I'm sure). You're not living her life - so you've got no more right to judge their allocation of time, money, resources in their family than I have to judge yours.

This reeks of the working mom versus home mom that's been tearing apart women for years now.

Let's stick to meaningful, substantive criticism of the repubs. There's no shortage of useful things to say. Go back and read Barack's speech if you can't think of any on your own.

Smarten up.

[dctackett]

yeah!... just like Cheney fighting against gay equal rights and having a gay daughter!... not an issue!... and these people need to lay off the abstinence only education and government control of reproduction and Palin's 17 year old pregnant daughter... not an issue... doesn't say anything about the candidate....
personal issues aren't to be looked at... ignore everything except what's acceptable to them.
sarcasm... smarten up...

[OtayPanky]

sarcasm... smarten up...

===

I get that it's sarcasm. But if you pay attention to Barack here, you're the one who needs to smarten up. Families should be off limits - PERIOD.

When you're fighting scumbuckets, you need to be careful you don't become your enemy. Go back and watch Star Wars, where Joseph Campbell explains this mythic timeless truth through George Lucas' narrative.

Don't thank me. I'm here to help.

[martina1965]

Totally agree!

[DocThink]

There is alot to talk about regarding Sarah Palin--her disbelief in global warming, her ignorance of what a VP does, her idea that you should debate evolution with creationism, her anti-choice stance, her lack of qualifications to be POTUS (tell her that that's what the VP is for)--but not one of them should be an attack on the decisions that she has made regarding her family and her job. There is NOT A SINGLE MAN who would have these remarks made about him.

I am glad that Sarah had the option of bringing her baby to work, rather than using daycare. I do wonder, though, who took care of him while she was working? Unless the Gov. of Alaska doesn't have alot of work to do. And that is a comment on her experience, not on her choices as a working mother. I say, Go Sarah the working mom. Now let's talk about her qualifications and her politics.

[fab40ies]

Seems she's more interested in the photo op than her responsibilities. As a special ed. teacher, I'm appalled that she is leaving her youngest child, an infant with special needs, to a nanny to raise while she romps around the country to become VP. VP is not a 'job' it is your entire life... these are the "Family Values" she espouses?!? Having the income to hire a household staff is not the same as being a 'working mom;' it is simply managing a business. Every move she's ever made has been to attain 'fame,' not to be in politics for service to the country, (beauty pageants, journalism, sports announcing, politics). No wonder McCain likes her - it's someone just like him.

[RaderBarbarian]

In the past two days I have not seen a video of Sarah Palin without the kids right there alongside her. The oldest daughter appears to always be holding Trig, so she must be the "designated babysitter" (poor girl!). Super Mom Sarah keeps the kids with her on the campaign and in the office. That should just drive ornery ol' McCain nuts in a short while, and he will explode and call Palin a blankety-blank- cxxt!?* and she will go home insulted and the ballgame will be over. Ha ha!

[bizymom]

I am the mother of 2 beautiful boys with autism and I am judged all day long by people who don't know me regarding the behavior of my children and the choices my husband and I have made regarding our careers, our family, our treatment approaches, my children's behavior, you name it. I don't know Sarah Palin and neither do any of you. I plan on judging her on her work performance and decisions, not on her family life. She is not running for Mother of the Year. We don't know what type of support she has from family, friends, hired help, etc., nor it is it any of our business, just as it is not my husband's boss's business how we raise our kids. One thing I do know is if she is elected VP, her child with Down's will have the best healthcare available for the rest of his life. In addition, his mother will be able to command speaker fees in the hundreds of thousands well after her VP run. My husband and I worry everyday how we will care for our children's needs into their adulthood and after our death. Her child will be taken care of because of her career choices. All of us make choices for ourselves and our children. There is not one right way to parent a child of special needs other than to give them all of the love you have and then some.

[chinationreport]

I find your arguments compelling but almost contradictory to what you want to achieve. Yes she may bring awareness to Down Syndrome. But she does not represent the party that will have universal health care. Imagine a family that can not afford health care has to deal with such a situation. How is this family going to provide the means to the children in need?
Yes, she may become a strong advocate for Down syndrome babies and families but this is certainly not in the agenda of the party she is chosen to represent.
As a mother of two, I myself find it very hard to balance my family needs and my career. What a super woman she must be to manage the country while trying to LOVE the baby that will be needing special care?

[jhw22]

You're right. But she doesn't want women to have a choice. For her to judge a woman and decide she cannot choose for herself opens the door for us to question the choice she makes as a mom.

[Kim Stagliano - Huffpost Blogger]

BizyMom - I'm not sure if you're addressing me or the comments (or both.) The religious right pilloried Hillar Clinton's "It take a Village" approach to child rearing. Mother and only mother is best, right? Mother is even the best school teacher - as many homeschool.

Now, you and I know that we need a ton of support from anywhere and everywhere - you have two boys with autism, I have three girls. (Gee, we're almost a Brady Bunch! ) There are days when if Freddie Kreugger knocked on my door and said, "Can I help you watch the girls, KIm?" I'd invite him and simply get out some bandaids.

My question is, and remains, is going straight back to work a conservative value? And is taking on the rigors of the Office of the Vice President of the United States while raising young, young young children in line with what we have been told by Focus on the Family and otherse are "Family Values" for the last umpteen years? Unlike Sarah Palin, I am pro-choice. I too was offered an abortion when I became pregnant with my third and my OB knew Mia and Gianna had just been diagnosed with autism. I chose to have Bella. Abortion never ever crossed my mind. There was no ticker tape parade held on my behalf though.

Thanks for commenting.

Kim

[FatherWolf]

So she's pawning the role of mother to family, friends, hired help, etc. All these people will have to make a special effort while she's off being VP or at least governor.

That's not fair to Trig, her family, her friends, not even to the hired help.

[Promise]

Yes, but she is making a point of being a wonderful Mom....so it is our business to question it.

[bekc123]

Does anyone relate to being able to hire a nanny or a nurse to care for the four month old child with special needs, the rest of the children, or not taking a maternity leave?

Again, though, just to be really cynical...who relates to hiring help? I know that I can't relate to these people. I struggled, as a single parent, to put myself through college while raising two very small children, with absolutely no help from my childrens' father.

Who are these people???