Attention All Moms: Vote!

The October 2008 issue of Parents magazine includes an excerpt from the book The Maternal is Political edited by Shari MacDonald Strong. The Maternal is Political features stories by women who are striving to make the world a better place for children and families.

Strong highlights the importance of voting to make this world a better, safer place for our children. She states, "I'll back any politician, any bill or measure that I believe to be in the best interest of children. My kids. Iraqi kids. Sudanese kids. Your kids...If we truly want to leave our children a world that's worth living in, we moms are going to have to fix it ourselves." She claims to be a part of the "Mothering Party," - recognizing, celebrating, and seizing the power inherent in mothering.

Her thoughts and ideas are inspiring and empowering, and I hope to read more from her book and her blog. 

Unfortunately, I was less inspired by Parents magazine's What Do Women Want survey. Published alongside the excerpt from Strong's book, the survey asked women which issues they most want to see on a presidential candidate's 2008 agenda. The survey was commissioned by the Meredith Corporation and NBC, and of the top five priorities, not one included education. Either the survey did a lousy job of asking women where education falls on their list of priorities OR the women surveyed care more about immigration and social security than the future of our young people. Sure, immigration and social security are important issues, but I was disappointed not to see education on that list. It's no secret that the educational system in America needs reform, and I encourage everyone to review the candidate's educational policies before making their decision this fall. To help you with this decision, here are link's to information on the candidates' stances on education: McCain, Obama.

Let's get informed and get voting!