Feb. 28, 2012: Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, arrives with his wife Ann at his election watch party after winning the Michigan primary in Novi, Michigan. (AP)
The liberal elites can’t help themselves by continuing to bash Ann Romney and once again attack stay at home moms (SAHMs). This time it’s HBO’s Bill Maher who weighed in on the Hilary Rosen controversy, dismissing it as a "non-consequential," meaningless controversy.
He also said that “Ann Romney has never gotten her a** out of the house to work at 7 am when it’s cold, having to deal with the boss, being in a workplace, and even if you're unhappy you can’t show it for 8 hours.”
Maher called this lifestyle “a different kind of tough thing.”
Of course, SAHMs are easy to target – they’re not hosting talk shows on HBO or being pundits on television, instead they are too busy managing their households and attending to the needs of their own demanding bosses.
Like Ann Romney I am the mother of five children, and my workload is endless. It’s a 7-day a week job. I don’t have one boss but many bosses with very different personalities. My bosses sometimes cry for no reason, require food and constant attention. It takes skill, imagination and talent to manage all these children.
Mr. Maher should look up the word “colic” and hold a colicky baby who cries for 3 hours straight, while feeling helpless.
He may want to ask a mom how she feels when she stayed up all night while her 2-year-old sick child vomited all over her.
How about bringing home a precious newborn who wakes up every two hours to breast feed.
Try not sleeping for weeks or months because you are concerned about your teenage son or daughter and barely have a chance to go to the bathroom or take a shower because a baby needs you.
I am sure Ann Romney had similar experiences when she took care of her five children.
As a major donor to Obama’s SuperPAC, Maher may want to ask the government to regulate the baby schedule and demand that stay at home mothers get a break. Actually the fact that these women work and work and ask for very little “regulatory relief” is probably one of the reasons they fall outside of the groups these liberals claim to represent.
How about remembering those moms who have to deal with a severely sick child in the hospital and are praying that their son or daughter will survive or those admirable mothers who patiently tend to their special needs child.
Sometimes these tragic circumstances are reversed.
The mother finds out that she has breast cancer or multiple sclerosis or stage IV colon cancer and is petrified that she will not see her children grow up.
Ann Romney has been there.
And even if they are depressed or scared, they don’t show it, especially not to their kids. These are real stories and the real tough things in life. These brave moms would trade their sickness for that 8-hour “unhappy and tough” job in the workplace.
Working moms and SAHMs are the unsung heroes of our time; especially those military wives who are staying home alone with their children while their husbands are serving abroad. They are raising children during stressful and uncertain times.
Many SAHMs are women who placed their careers on hold for the sake of their families so that they can be fully engaged and present in their children’s lives and their communities.
Choosing to stay at home and work as a caregiver is a difficult decision, but a worthy and selfless one. They are raising the next generation of Americans and teaching them about the importance of faith, family and freedom, which is the core of our country’s greatness.
The insults by liberal feminists and democrat elites like Bill Maher have offended not only Ann Romney, but many of these well-educated and strong women across the country who may one day return to the workplace.
The liberal feminists who say that they understand the plight of all women frustrate the SAHMs and often treat them as second-class citizens. Apparently, these liberals only speak for a certain kind of woman and minimize the role of the stay at home moms like Ann Romney.
President Obama’s calculated war on women has unintentionally turned into the war against stay-at-home moms, and these moms will not stand for it. The SAHMs have a voice and strong opinions and most importantly, they vote.
I’ve worked grueling hours on the campaign trail and in the White House, but deciding to stay at home with my children has by far been the most demanding yet most rewarding job.
I challenge any of these liberal feminists from the media including Bill Maher to spend 24 hours with the five Schlapp girls ranging from ages 3 months to 9-years-old.
Believe me, they will work their butts off, and I’m sure Ann Romney would agree. On second thought Mrs. Romney is welcome to come to my house, and Mr. Maher can stay at the hotel down the street.
Mercedes V. Schlapp is the mother of five daughters, Republican strategist and co-founder of Cove Strategies in Alexandria, Virginia. She worked at the White House under President George W. Bush.
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