Parenting or Politics?

In high school I was a rotary scholarship beneficiary; I went to rotary luncheons with my principal, attended leadership camps and retreats. I was a peer counselor, a trained listener looking out for the psychological well being of my fellow students; I went on to do the training of other nominated students and to speak at business luncheons for financial support of the counseling program. I served on LDS Seminary Council, organizing firesides and giving many talks in the congregations throughout my city.  I was outspoken in class discussions and with adults in all situations.  I was a writer, a speaker, and an A student.  I stood up and stood out.

After I graduated my parents would run into my high school principal and  teachers I'd had and these old mentors of mine would enthusiastically ask about me and what and how I was doing.  When my parents would tell them I'd dropped out of college and married and had a child, their enthusiasm waned dramatically and they expressed (some verbally, some non verbally) that it seemed such a waste. They were disappointed in me, as if I'd personally let them down.

Of course, none of them had ever asked me what I planned to be.  If they had, they'd have known that all I ever really wanted to be was a mother. They probably would have tried to persuade me to "aim higher." But I would have told them, in no uncertain terms, that motherhood is the highest aim there is.

Make no mistake, I have educated opinions and a driving force of principles.  I continue to learn and think and be outspoken. The current state of the Union and the world are so alarming I sometimes cannot sleep at night.  I have been asked, nay, begged to run for local elections.  But I am a mother to five children (a homeschooling mother at that) and I firmly believe in mothers being in the home and not so distracted with outside affairs as to neglect the family.  Still, I have considered what is expected of me as a citizen and how best to truly make a difference and "save the world."  Always, always, in prayer, my answer is to teach my children.

So it was with great applause that I read Holly Hamilton-Bleakly's articles on the merits of parenting over politics.  Give them a read.

Could Parenting Be More Important than Politics?

Is Parenting a Political Activity?