A few months ago, when Karoline Leavitt had her second baby, I said to my wife over coffee that Washington D.C. would freak out when she put motherhood over being press secretary. So here we are. Karoline is putting motherhood first, and everybody has an opinion about a woman choosing. I thought that it was good for women to choose — or so we were told.
Read more We traded a republic for a catalogue of entitlements
First, this is from Karoline:
“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” Leavitt posted on X.
Be the best mom? Thank you.
Some on the other side have questioned Karoline’s motives. Let’s check this from Amanda Marcotte:
In the MAGAsphere, it’s not enough for a woman to want motherhood. If she doesn’t give up her career and even her personal happiness in the process of making babies, it doesn’t count. Being pregnant isn’t enough. Conservatives also seem to require the “barefoot” and “in the kitchen” parts of the traditional job description.
In the case of Ocasio-Cortez — and many women like her — the problem is that she has ambitions for higher political office, hinting repeatedly that she’s considering a run for the Senate or even the presidency. For the right, babies aren’t an end in themselves; they are also a weapon to use in MAGA’s ongoing war on women’s equality.
Read more How the WNBA cancelled itself
Really? MAGA’s ongoing war?
I don’t care what AOC does with her personal life. It’s not something I consider when I cast a ballot. I’m a lot more interested in her ignorance of history and economics. My opinion of her did not change by her decision to do whatever she did with her eggs.
What I do find troubling is this nonsense that having babies is a war on women. Or the nonsense about being barefoot in the kitchen. My mother was never barefoot in the kitchen, and my wife, mother of three and now grandma of a few, didn’t either. This image is insulting, and every mom out there should be outraged. What I remember about my mom in the kitchen is that she wore shoes and cooked first -class Cuban food. My wife also wore shoes and made my favorite coffee every morning.
My wife was home with our sons when they were small. She put that ahead of her career because she felt strongly about it. It meant that we had to live on one salary and drive an older car, but no one is complaining all these years later. I was happy that she could care for them at home and be present when they came home from school. In other words, our sons were not eating chips and watching TV when they returned to an empty home. My wife was also deeply involved in their school activities, from PTA to Little League team mom.
Karoline Leavitt put her kids first, and that’s something to celebrate. It doesn’t mean that everyone has to do the same thing. Nothing stops a woman today from choosing a career and making it to the top. Good luck with that. But let’s not mock the intentions of a young mother who has different priorities.
Read more Dealing with Democrat refugees
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Image: Gage Skidmore