Become an Email Activist

I don't consider myself to be politically active. I have an opinion, of course, and I vote, but I've never contributed time or money to a political campaign. Lately I've been dipping my toe into the world of email activism and I gotta say, it feels pretty good.

I started through my day job. I work for a major cancer organization and as a cancer survivor, I have a personal stake in many of the issues that my employer advocates (increased government research funding, smoke-free communities, etc.). Then, as a frustrated mom trying to find a better way to balance a successful career and a thriving family, I stumbled across (hallelujah!!!) Momsrising.org, a movement dedicated to advocating for a family-friendly America. (My peeps!!!) Both organizations make email activism so easy. You get an alert, click on a link, fill out an online form, hit send and voila!, you've taken a stand on an issue and let your voice be heard.

I'm so surprised that more women don't actively engage in email activism on a regular basis. Every time I forward one of my email alerts to my super mommy friends network, it's usually met with a resounding silence. Maybe they don't realize that being an activist these days doesn't have to mean burning a bra or staging a march. Or maybe, as PunditMom muses in this post on Work It, Mom!, politics just isn't everyone's thing. Or it could be (and I think this is the real reason), as PunditMom points out in this post, that we're too nice to stir the pot and don't realize what a powerful force we can be when we do put our opinions out there.

I realize that changing the world isn't the first thing on everyone's to-do list, but we absolutely HAVE to get in this game. The stakes have never been higher for us as Moms and as Americans. It really doesn't take much effort or money (and if you don't believe that, check out THIS post from PunditMom). I've seen bills in Congress succeed and fail due to pure public pressure. If you don't want to devote your life or your blog to changing the political tide, start small like me. Sign up for some email action alerts at Momsrising.org, NOW or Congress.org. It takes all of ten minutes. If changing the world isn't reason enough, here's one more. Just like many of us have found with this blogging thing...giving yourself a forum to be heard feels friggin' great!

Become an Email Activist

Up With Moms

Well, folks, here it is -- ANOTHER blog written by yet ANOTHER mom. The one millionth and first.

Based on my very unscientific research, there seem to be two kinds of mommy blogs in the blogosphere. The vast majority are those that chronicle the highs and lows of mommyhood. These mommy musings connect with the very core of our being, illuminating the craziness common to all of our lives. The political mommy blogs are a small but growing minority that are gently encouraging moms to embrace the political process to make important changes that could vastly improve our lives. These moms have realized that if we marshall our voices, moms can be one of the most powerful forces in this country.

So what kind of mommy blog will this be? Actually, a hybird -- a hybrid with a focus. Through this blog I hope to share some thoughts and observations that will inspire you to not only better balance your life, but to help bring a better balance to our society.

Let's face it -- being a mom in today's world is crazy making. We're all just one science project away from completely losing it. Part of it is the nature of the job. Just keeping up with our children's ever-changing physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs is a huge deal. But then pile on the pressure we feel to be the perfect mother, wife, friend, neighbor and/or professional, and we've set ourselves up to fall short of our own expectations. We all pretend we've got it under control and yet, secretly we're all overwhelmed, exhausted and (often, though not always) miserable.

But it's not all our fault. Despite the fact that my generation of women were told that we could "have it all," corporate America never got the memo. Most companies do not take the needs of our nation's moms -- flexible work schedules, affordable childcare, paid maternity leave -- into account (see Elizabeth Vargas' fabulous 20/20 report on work and motherhood by clicking here). And this isn't just a mommy issue. Our husbands are rewarded financially and emotionally by spending more time at work than with their families. If they had more flexibility and less pressure to work, maybe they would be more amenable and available to help us out at home. Corporate culture is just not family friendly and this, folks, has got to change.

The great news is that it can all change, but -- here's the kicker -- it will only get better if we do something about it. The everyday stuff is pretty easy to change. All it takes to make our lives a little more manageable is caring for ourselves almost as much as we care about our families and thinking through some of our day-to-day, minute-by-minute choices. Changing our society will be a bit more complicated. It'll take getting involved and speaking up. It will mean taking a stand. Fortunately, the stars are aligning and I believe momentum toward that change has already begun. All we'll have to do is jump on the bandwagon. But if we sit on the sidelines, the world will continue to kick our collective butts.

In the spirit of balance, I'll only be posting weekly or bi-weekly at most. Looking forward to "chatting" with you again soon.

Up With Moms