Single motherhood ...

I sit back and wonder sometimes, how tough it must be to raise a brood of kids while still holding down a job and running a home single-handedly. I have little experience with motherhood and less with kids, but I know what they have to do to stretch a buck when it comes to car repairs, especially now that things have gotten worse economically. They are under a lot of pressure and, of course, the conservatives' views on single motherhood range from the obtuse (women are unhappy being 'liberated') to the far-out wacko (she should have abstained until she was married). Jill has an insightful post up about how they just don't get it:

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Sometimes single motherhood isn't about "sexual irresponsibility." Sometimes it's about getting out of a bad or abusive marriage. Sometimes it's an affirmative decision born (heh) out of dating a parade of jerks, perpetual adolescents and childophobes and not talking oneself into marrying someone for his sperm ...

I admit it, I'm a "childophobe" ("perpetually adolescent" runs a close second). When I was single, a woman with kids was automatically disqualified from consideration and one who uttered the words "I can't wait to have kids" was also let down, quickly. Sorry (seriously).

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Uh...maybe that's why women are unhappy? Because they're working not one but TWO jobs to try to keep things together? Historically it's men who define themselves through their work and their roles as breadwinner, so when that rug is pulled out from under them, men will often go into a tailspin, which leaves their wives having to not only work two jobs, but still come home and cook and do all the housework because hubby is curled up in a fetal position under the covers ...

It's why the Rethugs have only a 20% identification rate. I'm surprised there even is such a thing as a 'Republican woman' but hey, there are gay Republicans too. Go figure.