Mother’s Day: The second Sunday in May appointed for the honoring of mothers. – Merriam Webster Dictionary
When the division vice president arrived in town to evaluate revenue, profit margin, readership numbers, and personnel levels, it was not my favorite part of being a newspaper editor.
After the two-day inspection and interrogation was complete, I breathed a sigh of relief until he caught me off guard with this question:
“You have daughters. How can you be against the ERA?”
It was obvious he had kept up with my newspaper’s editorial positions.
As I recall the conversation, one concern was the possibility that my daughters, or young females anywhere, could be conscripted into infantry military service.
The Equal Rights Amendment never became the law of the land, but equal rights for women has progressed like Patton’s Third Army through France.
It has been largely positive.
Equal pay for equal work still lags in some areas, but full equality in all things economic, social and political – the ERA’s stated goal – made sense then and now.
That said, there have been unforeseen consequences of the continued push because “equality” is often confused with gender “neutrality.” Equality, for some, means ending the distinction between men and women. Unisex bathrooms is an easy example. Same sex marriage is another. And, so is doing away with the idea that women are better suited for some roles than are men, and vice versa. In language, it means eliminating the “he” and “she” pronouns. Changing Boy Scouts to Scouts so girls can be admitted is the latest manifestation. It is a lengthy list.
With Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, can we count on it continuing, or will it also become a victim of political correctness? Will it be merged with Father’s Day to create a “Parents Day” so as to include both sexes and not exclude or offend any variation of the traditional mom/dad role?
When we were rearing our daughters, we strove to make certain they understood that they could pursue whatever life’s work they desired. No exceptions. The world was their oyster. We didn’t attempt to direct their higher education choices and encouraged their pursuit of their dreams.
Thankfully, they had a mom who guided and educated them while dad was at the office. Their mom, and most moms, are the helpers-in-chief in the home. Moms listen. They advise. They fix things. They love.
The role of moms is absolutely essential to kids growing up. Tragically, one of three “dads” is missing from home, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
Like Christmas, Mother’s Day should be celebrated year round.
May 9, 2018