It’s time again to look back on some of the memorable moms of the past year.
These women aren’t necessarily listed here because I agree with who they are or what they stand for, but they’re moms who struck me as memorable in some way this year.
Here they are, in no particular order:
Most insane mom: Nadya Suleman a.k.a. Octomom. Her litter of octuplets will turn one in January. She’s a single mom to fourteen kids under the age of seven. Need I say more?
Most unpredictable mom: Sarah Palin (her second year in a row on this list). Sarah, Sarah, your politics and inability to think before opening your mouth drive me nuts. But I like your spirit. Screw Alaska’s governor’s office, baby. Borrrring. Write (or have someone write) a book about your life and sell it to homespun-loving crowds around the nation, carting your kids along with you. Blow off the father of your out-of-wedlock grandbaby because he’s scuzzy. Sarah, you’re that train bombing down the track toward the end of the line that always manages to put on the brakes just in time. So far.
Most graceful when surrounded by sleaze mom: Elin Woods. Will she be a Silda Spitzer or a Jenny Sanford? My bet’s on the latter, which her home country of Sweden seems to support. There, she’s seen as a heroic epitome of female strength. The editor-in-chief of that country’s largest newspaper even wrote, “Swing it again, Elin,” referring to her supposedly going after her cheating spouse with one of his beloved golf clubs. Forget her hubby, Elin’s a mama tiger.
Most over-exposed mom: Kate Gosselin. I hearby proclaim Kate Gosselin the mom on whom the most media glare was wasted. I’ve never seen the reality show that featured the Gosselin family, but because of the extensive coverage of Kate and husband Jon’s break-up and the ongoing saga of his love life, I know more than I want to about the family. Lesson: Don’t do reality TV unless you’re willing to have all your laundry, including dirty undies and small children, picked over by a Schadenfreude-happy world.
Most sacrificial moms: All moms whose children have or currently are serving in the U.S. military and stationed abroad. You are the moms I think about daily—when I read the news from Iraq and Afghanistan; when I look at my two young kids and hope that their future will be free from war.
Most go-for-it CEO mom: Carol Bartz. Bartz was named CEO of Yahoo Inc. this year, making her one of the few female Fortune 500 company heads. That’s cool, but what I really respect about Bartz is that this mom of a now college-aged daughter talks extensively and publicly about the challenges of kid wrangling while pursuing CEO-dom. In an article in More magazine, she noted that achieving balance between work and the rest of one’s life is a myth that can only lead to counterproductive guilt for working moms. Guilt, guilt, go away, we moms have work to do and kids to raise.
Speaking of powerful moms who juggle: how about Asheville mayor Terry Bellamy? Bellamy easily won a second term as mayor of our mountain town in ‘09. When first elected in 2005, Bellamy was the youngest Asheville mayor ever and the first African-American (she was 33). All the while, she’s been raising two young kids. Other local moms juggling politics, young ‘uns and full-time jobs are Holly Jones, Buncombe County commissioner, and new Asheville City Council member, Esther Manheimer.
Local activist mom: Crystal Everitt. Asheville mom Everitt briefly became the face of the national lactivism movement after organizing a nurse-in at the Denny’s Restaurant on Patton Ave. While nursing her baby there, she was asked to cover her breast or leave. This sparked national nurse-ins and lots of coverage for moms’ right to breastfeed in public. Denny’s management apologized for the incident, and there’s been no further action, as far as I know.
That’s it for my memorable moms of 2009. Not that this is anywhere near a complete list. Who are your memorable moms? Tell me in the comments section.
Anne Fitten “Edgy Mama” Glenn writes about a number of subjects, including parenting, at www.edgymama.com.
Sarah Palin was also named one of the top 5 brand winners of 2009 on John Tantillo’s marketing blog. (Note: he actually thought that her book was a brand loser.