Hillary and our daughters
Hillary Clinton's long campaign may be coming to an end. Or not. And I've been wondering what to tell my daughter about it.
My colleague Jean Marbella hilariously summed up the feelings of many in her column this morning, when she wrote a rhyme for Hillary in the style of Dr. Seuss's Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! You must check it out.
I may show it to Leah today, because it says well what I've been struggling to explain as I prepare her for the idea that Hillary probably won't be elected. She's been excited for months about the idea of a woman president.
From an early age, my daughter has noticed that women are sparsely represented in certain important sectors of society. Like the time we had to call the fire department to get my son's knee unstuck from a playground staircase. It must have been a slow Sunday, because a crew of about 10 firefighters responded, including a woman.
I was eager to use this as a teachable moment for Leah, then 5. "See," I said as we drove home, "ladies can be firefighters, too!"
"But mommy," she said. "Why only one?"
How do you talk to your daughters about Hillary?
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Comments
Thinking about the role model issue, I can't help but feel that little African American boys need a President Obama more than little white girls need a President Hillary Clinton. I'm not worried about our daughters, they'll continue to excel.
Posted by: Me | June 3, 2008 1:06 PM
Hillary Clinton had the same chance in this race as her opponent. Yes, some people didn't give her a chance because she was a woman, but there were also plenty who never gave Barack Obama a chance because he was black. She lost this race on her own merits, not because of her gender. Women did not owe it to their gender to support the first woman who was able to raise enough money to become a serious presidential contender regardless of her politics. I have no guilt whatsoever about my failure to support this "great feminist hero" who supported the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act and sat on the board of Wal-Mart while they were doing untold damage to workers' rights and the environment. Is Hillary Clinton not supposed to have to answer for her mistakes as a politician because she's female? NO! The honorable thing for her to do as a woman and a feminist would have been to stand up, be mature, and be accountable for her own mistakes instead of trying to blame everything on sexism. I wish the first serious female contender for president would have been someone honorable who we could have held up to our daughters as a positive role model, win or lose. Hillary Clinton has not been that woman.
Posted by: Anne | June 3, 2008 1:11 PM
I remember when I was 8 years old, and I was so excited that Geraldine Ferraro was running for vice president!! I didn't know much about politics at that age, but I was old enough to realize, somehow, that a woman running for vice president was a really exciting thing! My parents completely indulged me (I admit to chanting 'Mondale and Ferraro!' on several occasions) even though they voted for Reagan.
I was heartbroken when Mondale & Ferraro lost.
Posted by: aeb | June 3, 2008 3:24 PM
I don't have daughters, but I have a niece. The women in our family split. My 88-year-old mother and I voted for Obama and my sister chose Hillary. It's still a sore subject with her. Maybe we will be able to talk about it after the general election!
Posted by: Dahlink | June 3, 2008 3:54 PM