Sarah Palin: Part Deux

I have to admit, I wrote the original post about Sarah Palin to stir up debate. And that it did. Thursday was one of the highest traffic days my blog has seen and I have Sarah Palin to thank for that.

I’ll also admit to being infatuated with this topic. I love politics. I love watching the conventions, studying the candidates, and reading all of the spin regarding the election.

On top of all of that, nothing makes me happier than a good debate. A heated argument among friends. My grandpa taught me early on how to play the devil’s advocate and I use those techniques often in my classroom — to encourage my students to think outside of the proverbial box, or maybe I should say to encourage them to think at all… I hate it when people are apathetic. And I’d much rather you have an opinion that isn’t the same as mine than not have an opinion at all.

Talking about politics makes me wish Grandpa was here… I’d love to hear his take on this year’s election. Even though I have a feeling the argument would end with me storming out of the house because after repeated requests he wouldn’t stop using the “n” word.

When it comes down to it, my ideology has changed greatly, and I’m not exactly sure why. This is the first election since I became infertile. It’s the first election since I started the blog. And, most importantly, it’s the first election since I became a mom. It’d be crazy for me to deny that these events have changed my way of thinking. They have changed me exponentially and there is no going back…

Infertility changed my view on stem cell research completely. It changed the way I look at health care. Starting the blog has changed how I view the media, what I feel is newsworthy, and how I feel information should be conveyed. Becoming a mom has changed my opinion of what it takes to be a good parent. It changed my view of SAHM’s and WAHM’s. It’s shifted my priorities in ways that I didn’t realize were possible. And these are just the changes that relate to my ideology.

The issue that everyone is hammering me for is the issue that I feel that Sarah Palin is going against conservative ideals by choosing to run for office instead of being home with her family.

First, let me state, that this is totally HER CHOICE. I am just stating my opinion about it. Which well… in the scheme of things – doesn’t matter. She’s made the choice to run and that is what she is doing. I guess the reason I brought it up in the first place is that it just isn’t what I would choose to do…

I’ll be the first to admit that even a year ago, I would have felt differently about this issue. Before I was a mom I had a very negative view of SAHM’s. And while I still realize that being a SAHM isn’t for me (leaning heavily toward the WAHM side currently), I also realize what an awesome responsibility and undertaking it is to be a mother in ways that I never understood or appreciated before I became a mother myself.

And I guess the real issue is, this is what Gov. Palin has chosen to do with her life and I could have made the same decisions. I see the similarities… With a few tweaks to my life plan I know that I could end up in a political office (first step would be to make this blog private….) but I have different priorities. And even before infertility, before motherhood, my priorities were still different. One of the many reasons I took a teaching job instead of continuing to law school was that teaching fits so well with raising a family. I want to be there for my child and be a working mom, and I knew that before I even became a mother.

I also scoff at the idea that this is a sexist or partisan based argument. If Barack Obama had a 4 month old at home I’d have the same feelings. There is a time and a place for everything. When you have young children your focus, Mommy or Daddy needs to be on them. At the same time, if you’ve parented, you know that especially during the first 6 months, and even more so if you are breastfeeding, being a mom is a lot more difficult and time-consuming than being a dad. (I’ll be the first to admit that work distribution does get better, but those first few months with late night feedings, those are the months that make Mom’s so amazing.)

I don’t like the idea of children being under the public eye in any form — celebrity, political, etc. I wouldn’t do that to my children. One person left in the comments on my last post the idea that we can have it all — just not all at once. And I think this is a great statement. The fact is, she probably just couldn’t see how she could turn down an opportunity like this one. And I see that too. I say yes often, when I should say no.

Just because I’m a working mom myself doesn’t mean that it’s crazy for me to have these thoughts and feelings. Being a part-time teacher is a lot different than being Vice President of the United States. Just for the campaign, Palin will be traveling all over the country and will probably rarely sleep, more or less have time to spend with her family. If elected, she’ll be traveling all over the world. It’s obvious that being involved in politics is stressful, but being involved at this level will be stressful for her family as well.

A man who told me, just a few years ago. that one of the main problems with American is that we have lost our morals and values and one of the best ways to regain them is to have mothers in the home (And lectured me for hours about how smart a pageant contestant was when she answered a question at our local county fair about how life should be more like it was in the 50′s with more mothers in the home) doesn’t see the connections when I make the argument that Palin shouldn’t be running for Vice President right now. In an argument this week, he said to me, “don’t you want to restore morals to our country?” My response — it starts with the parents, not the government. The colonial idea of Republican Motherhood — where moms can have the most impact in the home — maybe that isn’t far from the truth…

I respect the fact that many of you have opinions that are different from mine. This world would be a boring place if we all agreed on everything. Election years wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining. But at the same time, I resent being ridiculed just because my opinion isn’t the same as yours. I researched the candidate. I thought about my own life and experiences. I am educated woman. And this is how I feel. I respect that it may not be how you feel and I respect that it must not be how Sarah Palin feels but that doesn’t mean that my thoughts are blatantly wrong.

Probably my biggest issue with society (besides apathy) is when one tries to say that their way is the only way. Look at the world and you can plainly see that YOUR way is not the ONLY way. This is what I believe. And honestly, I don’t care if you agree with me, but don’t expect that you’re going to change my mind by reacting in negative ways. The saying that you catch more flies with honey is definitely true in this case.

People in our society try to force their ideas of what is right on others — they try to force religion, partisan politics, and moral values on others. They don’t stop to think that maybe there are reasons why people feel the way they do or to even consider walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. I don’t always do this either, but I certainly try… And that is why I respect that this is her decision and her choice. Despite the fact that it isn’t the choice I would make, doesn’t make it wrong. Just as the fact that my opinion is different from yours doesn’t make it wrong.

*Disclaimer – this post was written in about 10 minutes after grading about a million papers. I’m brain dead but I wanted to get my thoughts out there before this is old news since Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts are already spoken for.*