Part 2

Part 2…………..Sorry, this became way to long for a comment screen……..In answer to your post Sara…..
This issue becomes a heavy one whether you intend it to or not. Over the course of the last 100 years, the only ones that I can ever seem to remember my history on, women have been placed into certain roles that society has built for them. Do I think that Sarah Plain was a good choice for him, yep, probably. It was exactly what he needed to stir up enough controversy to get the voice of comments of the country moving in his direction. Good or bad, it is moving. Do I think she is the right choice for our country…no. But that is my opinion. I really do not care if she moved into the White House with 10 children in tow. I think that there would be so much assistance handed to her that her children would probably not only be just fine, but thrive. What I do care about is her politics, her stand on the environment, her views on government subsidies etc etc etc. And on those I just can’t agree. Do I think she is a hell of a speaker that appears to have been through at least fifteen Rapport sessions, you betcha! She can rally a crowd, of that there is no doubt.
So onto the Motherhood debate. There is no right or wrong when it comes to staying home with your young child. What I hoped that our generation did was gave women the right to choice, in many ways. As each tree is a different seed, so are we, and how we choose to live our lives, and raise our children is ours alone. That is what makes our “tribes” so important. Having a stand-by network of family and friends so that if we do choose to work outside the home, we hopefully have some assistance. We are the nurturers, and as such , we are the role models of peace in most homes.
I had an interesting conversation with Marlea today. We were talking about the new store and how it was going to have my head spinning down Williams Ave. before we got it all up and running. I asked her if she was ready to buy The Flower Tree from me in a few years……….and this is how the summary of the conversation went……
She was happy that we are opening the new store, and she truly feels that we can handle both with no problem because with eight years under our belts we are pretty comfortable with how it’s done. Now here is the kicker that made my heart sing, a little. She said that no, she wouldn’t be ready to buy any business or try anything different until Maddy was out of school, because the “freedom and flexibility” that she has had during her entire years of school has been a huge help and comfort to her. It was at that moment that I told her that I would make it my goal to keep The Flower Tree for at least five more years, until Maddy was out of High School and then we would see. Of course, she told me not think that way, just for her. But I realized I wasn’t thinking that way just for her, but for me too. For she is part of my tribe.
So I said all that, to say this………..we have an obligation to each other to encourage the goals, dreams, aspirations and wishes of those closest to us. Someone encouraged Sarah Palin to run for the 2nd highest office in the world …….and more power to her if she thinks she is up to the task. She just isn’t my choice. But I still respect her right to try. I feel it is our obligation to greet a “stay at home” Mom in a store with an encouragement rather than a question such as you got Sara, and to make it a point to also encourage the Mom that is working outside the home……..it is a tough choice EITHER WAY…..you always….always wonder if you made the right one. It does not matter if your child is 1 or 30 or 50 - you always wonder. I love you all, Su.