Why the Term “Working Mother” is Redundant

Posted by Jim_Daly Apr 12, 2012

According to political consultant Hillary Rosen, Ann Romney, “has actually never worked a day in her life.”

This morning, Mrs. Romney responded:

"She should have come to my house when those five boys were causing so much trouble. It wasn't so easy."

At the center of this issue is an ongoing point of tension for many families in America:

Are stay-at-home moms working mothers?

If you ask me, the simple answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!”

To try and draw a distinction between mothers who work outside the home and those who work full-time within it only diminishes the value of all mothers in general. There is nothing more challenging than raising children. Individual family circumstances vary, but the bottom line of bottom lines is this:

However you slice it or dice it, motherhood is tough work!

Being a mom isn’t easy, but it’s critically important.

For those women who, like my wife, Jean, have made the decision to work within the home full-time, there is no higher calling in life. In Jean’s case, she has a degree in bio-chemistry, but has decided that she can make the greatest contribution by investing in our boys.

I’ve always liked how one of my favorite writers, David McCullough, introduces his wife and mother of their five children. Acknowledging the invaluable contribution she’s made over the years, he says she’s not only a wife and a mother, and the star by which he steers, but also “Secretary of the Treasury” and “Chairman of the Ethics Committee.”

Indeed, moms wear many distinctive hats. They are worthy of our praise and our thanks.

Plus, as somebody once put it, isn’t the term “working mother” redundant?

It’s unfortunate that a consultant has politicized motherhood. Make no mistake -- both Ann Romney and Michelle Obama are committed to their children, and in Mrs. Romney’s case, their grandchildren, too.

At Focus on the Family we believe in the value of having and raising children. Wouldn't it be great if our culture once again lifted up, not diminished, the hard work of moms in our country?

NOTE: Paid for by Citizenlink.

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