I give credit to SAH Mom's but I rarely ever hear people support or praise the working Mom's in a SAH Mom position. By that I mean, I work full time (40hrs), spend an additional 6 hours driving to and from, I am responsible in my household for all the errands, all the drives to and from football for my son (I also coach so add that on), all the drives for my daughter and her friends, nearly all the cooking/cleaning/school stuff you name it. A lot of praise is put on the SAH Mom's for what they do, but what about all the additional hard work us full time Mom's do too? In that regard, I don't think Mrs. Romey has a clue what it takes. Some of us full time Mom's have to work in order to carry the health insurance needed for kids, or to supplement income in the house. Just wish politicians would realize that not every SAH Mom or Dad has it easy or has a cake walk and not the same would go for those that have full time jobs and have to do the same duties as a the SAH parent does. Just saying.

As a working mom whose husband is self-employed, I am gone 60 hours a week in order to a) provide health insurance and b) steady income to pay bills and put food on the table. This isn't by choice, it is by necessity. Yes, I earn a good buck, but who pays the cost? My son. Just last night I stopped by a neighbor's home. She is a SAH mom and she was helping me out in a babysitting crunch. Her crisis de jour? How to rearrange her kitchen because it is being completely gutted and remodled. While I am happy for her and her "new kitchen," it really struck a chord with me. While SAH work is difficult, it is also a blessing. I wish my biggest worries were where I was going to store my glasses and if the island is just "too big" for the space. While she is losing sleep over cabinet and refridgerator measurements, I'm losing sleep about how to ask my employer if I can leave work ONE HOUR EARLY, without being punished, in order to attend my son's first baseball game of the season. Maybe my worries are silly too, but they are real. I lose my employment, I lose steady income, insurance, and self-respect. There are clearly two classes in the US now: The Working Class and the Clueless Class.

Julie,
I am sure that the SAH mom that is helping you babysitting your kid appreciates you insulting her by calling her clueless.

How many nannies does the average stay at home Mom have?

I think there are many Moms out there who would love to stay at home with their kids if they had the financial ability and opportunity. I don't think it's fair to resent or begrudge these moms for making that choice for their family. In today's society, unfortunately, many families don't have that choice and both parents must work. However, it is unfair to say that a stay at home parent is unfit or out of touch if they have the ability to stay home. Just because Ann Romney has stayed home doesn't mean she hasn't had her share of trials - including breast cancer & MS. Here's an analogy - does a cancer doctor need to have had cancer to help patients? Maybe it would help with empathy, but a doctor can still help his patients even if he or she has not had their disease. Don't count out Ann Romney just because she has not worked a traditional job.

It's important to notice that the person who started all this against Ms Romney is a "democratic strategist" and she is trying the old Democrat trick of picking on anyone Republican who is within sight. I'D like to ask her just how hard Obama worked when he had a job. Oh, wait, he didn'T HAVE a job before becoming a senator for 180 days. He was a..."community organizer" before that. Real tough work. MOM'S work harder than that. Ms Rosen owuld do well to keep her big trap shut unless she's going to pick on a presidential candidate. Far as I'm concerned, wives, just like kids, should not be made into political targets. Good night to you from Hollywood.

The main thing one has to remember is that Ann Romney CHOSE to be a stay-at-home mother! I would be more concerned about a woman who is a stay-at-home because her husband/boyfriend made her do so, perhaps for some reason based on a twisted interpretation of "a woman's place is in the home," or Ephesians 5:22, "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands." That amounts to spousal abuse!

There's even the concept in Spanish/Latin American culture of "machismo," where the man is superior to everything, and that is used to force a woman to stay at home, not earn extra (or needed) money, not learn English, etc.

I work outside the home because I HAVE to. My husband would love for me to stay at home full time, but he realizes that without my income, we may end up being homeless.

I find interesting the Filipino concept: women are encouraged to go to school and work outside the home. But their income is not seen as their own- it is a supplement to their husband's or their parents' income. Family is EVERYTHING to the Filipinos, and they are taught early on how not to think about themselves, but about their families first (Something Americans DESPERATELY need to learn!).

So, if a woman wants to work out side the home, that's her business. If a woman wants to stay-at-home, that's her business, too. But either way, IT HAS TO BE HER OWN DECISION AND NOT BY FORCE FROM ANOTHER!

A job is a job! Be it a Mom or anything else. I had the misfortune of becoming divorced when my three kids were ages 13,11 and 9 (I kept my kids). The youngest needed open heart surgery at that very trying time and, of course, I needed to work outside of the home. So, I was Mr. Mom...there isn't enough space here to tell you how difficult that was and how much energy it took to keep things going. Besides, I am a crappy cook!
I did learn to make meals that yielded leftovers which became a "cold plate" along with fruit for Sundays. Dad's day off...kinda. Moms, working or not let me tell you this; I am "one cowboy" that appreciates and understands the demands and sacrafices Moms make in keeping the home. We should never look for anymore in a womans "job description" past the word MOM!