Local writer quoted in WP saying that she "plays dumb" around SAHMs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can kind of understand it. When I go to the playground, all the Mom's talk about is what they saw on the View or Oprah that day. When the ladies of the View or Oprah say something, apparently to them, it is fact. That, or they gossip...I have yet to get any further than that with any of them.

Don't get me wrong, I am sure there are other SAHMs who don't talk about that stuff...I have just yet to meet them where we go to play.

LOL I don't know where you are, but in my entirety as a SAHM I've never had a conversation *ever* where either Oprah or the View came up. Never! Gossiping? Seriously, you are funny!

[Anonymous]

I don't know which PP it was, however, I completely agree with the poster who mentioned that talking about television is normally just safe territory when meeting new people (the same as talking about the movies, the weather, a new restaurant, etc.). I really do not care to talk about topics that might be politically charged until I know it will not become a polarizing and awkward conversation (as most of us in the Metro area have very strong opinions). To the women who find this boring and a sign of one's low intelligence -- do you really want to discuss Afghanistan and health care reform while watching the kids on the playground?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think HR's point wasn't that you shouldn't breastfeed, but that it's a legitimate choice not to, and that groups like La Leche League create unnecessary guilt and bad feelings between groups of women who've made disparate choices.

I guess that was part of the point, if one is insecure about her choices. However, I disagree that breastfeeding for working moms is detrimental to paving the way for our daughters. Not asking for a very small accomidation in order to pump at work is REALLY doing a disservice to our future daughters and their options. Should our bosses all assume that it is unacceptable for working moms to pump because we have so scared ourselves into the margins? Should breastfeeding be reserved for the SAHM? I'm proud to be a nursing mom while I work and even prouder of the fact that I can model for the young women who work for me that they can do it too if they want to make that choice.

I think what would be really progressive and forward thinking in order to retain talented women is to protect nursing moms by asking that employers provide mandatory breaks at least 3.5hrs apart in order to pump.

[Anonymous]

do you really want to discuss Afghanistan and health care reform while watching the kids on the playground?

Hanna Rosin does!!

She lives in Woodley Park, so let's assume the playgrounds she speaks of are in the vicinity of Woodley. Raise your hand if you think the mothers frequenting the Woodley playgrounds, who live in that neighborhood, need dumbed down language lest their heads explode.

[Anonymous]

This is completely off topic but the talk of watching Oprah brings up something that really irks me.

Before I had kids, I got home from my early starting job by around 4 and usually vegged out for an hour, catching up on laundry or housework, preparing dinner, and watching Oprah. I relaly liked her show back then.

I always assumed I'd have time to watch Oprah as a SAHM but except for the first few months (when I nursed and watched tv a lot) the 4 o'clock time frame has been the absolute worst for watching TV. I watched much more TV in fact when I was working (before kids) than I do now.

[Anonymous]

It was a stupid and defensive comment. I worked part-time for the first two years after my oldest was born and, believe me, I never had time to read the paper, other than articles that had a direct bearing on my work. As a SAHM, I read the entire paper most days and am much better-informed. Honestly, when I go to dinner parties, I feel like the SAHMs have a lot more to talk about than either dads or moms who WOHM --they're the ones who can only talk about work or kids! But the best conversationalists, hands down, are empty nesters -- male or female, working-for-pay or not -- they have loads of leisure time for reading, theatre, art, travel, volunteering and are not limited to work or kids as topics.

[Anonymous]

".....my circle in NOVA do not have my professional or educational background or intellectual interests. I do not enjoy the television programs they watch, the books they read, or the music they listen to, but we have our children and families to talk about, and they are genuinely nice people. I don't think of it as "playing dumb," I think of it as practicing humility and learning to find the best in everyone."

I love this. When you are on the playground with your children....who is thinking about discussing world events or politics. I think the focus should be on your children.

[Anonymous]

I still don't get how breastfeeding keeps one from pursuing a career in science. If you are making the point about certain careers not being family friendly due to the hours or travel demands, then say so. But breastfeeding lasts such a short time anyway. I think it's quite a stretch to say that breastfeeding torpedoed anyone's career in any field.

[Anonymous]

It is truly pathetic how little understanding or empathy women can show one another. Who gives a shit? I am going through the roughest time of my life right now and the support I have gotten from WMs, SAHMs, and WOHMs has been equally intelligent, compassionate, and humbling. I think it is a head-scratcher that a reporter who is commenting on needing to dumb-down conversation for certain groups of people finds herself making such fluffy comments. They make her look like an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a head-scratcher that a reporter who is commenting on needing to dumb-down conversation for certain groups of people finds herself making such fluffy comments. They make her look like an idiot.

True that.

[Anonymous]

I have 2 Ivy League degrees and read teh paper and can pretty much hold my own in any conversation about art, music, politics, literature, travel, current events whatever. I also work full time in a pretty intellectually challenging kind of job. And when I have lunch with my coworkers we talk about Oprah, the latest gossip from Perez Hilton, how funny the Hangover was, and all manner of trivial stuff. So I don't get it. This WAH/SAH stuff needs to end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 Ivy League degrees and read teh paper and can pretty much hold my own in any conversation about art, music, politics, literature, travel, current events whatever. I also work full time in a pretty intellectually challenging kind of job. And when I have lunch with my coworkers we talk about Oprah, the latest gossip from Perez Hilton, how funny the Hangover was, and all manner of trivial stuff. So I don't get it. This WAH/SAH stuff needs to end.

I agree. I have a solid, interesting career and am well educated, and I love reading anything I can get my hands on as well. Many of the books I read for pleasure on the metro I'm sure are discussed as required reading at colleges around the country.

Yet, I'm a proud subscriber of Us magazine, which I love to flip through before bed during the week, and I also love dumb movies like The Hangover, going on perez, etc.

Let's face it: it was a stupid comment that she made. If she had a larger point about not feeling comfortable as a WM around some SAHMs because she feels judged, that might be an interesting discussion (not on DCUM of course), but her comment about hiding the fact that she reads the paper was pointless and thoughtless.

[Anonymous]

I am a wah mom...read that comment in the Post and thought it came off very arrogant and rather insulting to sahms. Ironically-I'm the working mom in my bunch of friends...and I'm prob more likely than Any of them to bring up us weekly or hoda&kathy lee(I workout during their show). My sahm friends are a highly educated bunch and I have to stay on my toes around them

[Anonymous]

Not only does she have distain for SAHMs, but has distain for WMs who breastfeed. She has accomplished her goal of getting everyone riled up, really she is doing is a typical marketing trick.

[Anonymous]

The only place I ever encounter S/W mom animosity is here. In the real world we all get along and try hard to support one another.