I'm all for empowering girls to learn science. That is one reason we chose a private school with a strong emphasis on science learning for my children's education. But sadly we chose not to enroll our daughter in Camp Galileo this summer, almost ENTIRElY because the camp had too few girls last year and it bothered my daughter. According to her, the boys were pushy, loud, bossy and apparently the counselors were not able to (or did not attempt to) change that. This year, she is spending most of the summer in all-girls programs, mostly sports focused, and although my daughter absolutely loves her school (as do we), I sometimes wonder if we should have taken a more serious look at the all-girls private elementary schools in San Francisco.

Good points. I do think (and I should blog about this separately) that Octomom and Kate had more to do with competitive doctors than it had to do with greedy moms-to-be (and hey, what about the dads - at least, jon? he had some responsiblity there too). But -- and this also is a long separate post -- the lack of funding for schools is largely due to Proposition 13, which was actually put through by greedy homeowners and real estate developers rather than greedy moms. If we could repeal Prop 13, then people whose families have owned those 5 million dollar mansions for 50 years will actually have to pay taxes on them. It's why schools are so terrible in SF, for example - those multi-million dollar mansions in Pac Heights generate very little tax revenues, and our schools suffer from lack of funding. Anyway, that's for my next rant! Best, Rebecca

I wonder a lot about the criticism that Octomom and Kate expect society to "pick up the tab." Query: could society ever really provide the support necessary to be a mother to 8 (or 15!) kids? Sometimes I too come close to feeling resentful of the families who rely on things that I currently do not qualify for: public assistance, public education (well, I supposedly qualify for it but did not receive a school assignment in San Francisco), financial aid, etc.... but then I try to embrace the fact that life just isn't fair, and move on. After all, aren't those of us who do not qualify for public assistance far more fortunate than those of us who do?

Russell was Asian American? Somehow I totally missed that. I was a bit more fixated on the fact that all of the characters were male, there was the typical Disney Dead Mother, and animals were being hurt left and right. Certainly there is a paucity of Asian Americans shown on screen, but I wonder if Russell did anything to assist with diversity in movies? For a film that gives Asian Americans great acting roles, I'd refer you to Gran Torino. Tokyo Sonata (about Japanese people in Japan, so a bit different) is also an exceptional movie. Both are for adults, however.

Hm. Having just turned 40, with 2 young children (5 and almost-3), I don't exactly feel proud of my (old) age, and hearing the "eat your hearts out, (old) bitches" comment above wasn't exactly kind. I'm sure that the how-old-are-you questions are more out of jealousy. I hope you can look at them as such and rise above it, recognizing that you are, in fact, in an envious position, still being relatively young and having so much of your life, both family and career, ahead of you. At this point, as I start to enter middle age and genuinely miss the times when I used to be able to swing around in cute clothes at a nightclub, exuding positive energy, I would settle for any energy, at least not created by too many espresso shots. How old are you anyway? I'm just curious what is considered 'young' for mothering in the DC Area. Here in San Francisco, I was one month shy of my 35th birthday when I had my first child (37 when I had my second), and at least for my first child, that somehow counted me as a 'young' mother. YMMV.

Amy, my heart goes out to you!! I'm sure Jake was fine. These sorts of things happen - it's not your fault. No harm done. Thanks for sharing! It's a nice reminder for us all.

I think bangs are cute!! Also, I do think that they are very in style in many places - it depends where you go. My daughter also noticed that most of her friends don't have bangs. We discussed whether she wanted to grow them out or not and she decided not to. I think she looks cute in bangs - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rle/2468887336/ but yes, I do agree that when they grow longer, they aren't as cute. I would be happy to have her grow out the bangs, it is just the in-between stage that she does want, and neither do I. She's 5 now. Maybe when she's older, she'll have more patience for it. An interesting post. Next I'm going to tackle my son's hair. It is totally curly so we never cut it (he will be 3 in August). People often say, "What a cute girl." Hair causes so many issues, doesn't it?

Here in San Francisco, only the single sex private schools and some Catholic schools have uniforms. And OH ARE THEY CUTE!! We really could imagine our daughter in the adorable uniform. Ok, I like the equalizing factors as well. But our private/religious school doesn't do them, and quite frankly I couldn't ever imagine a Jewish Day School that did! Too bad. They're so cute. A number of the public schools in SF have uniforms too, mostly the "up and coming" schools, but I don't think that the rules are enforced -- it's more of a 'recommendation.' Legal requirement, I think. Alas!

Back again - Akemi: a July boy has very little shot of being accepted into any private/indie school in San Francisco. Although the stated cut-off date is usually Aug 1 (sometimes Sept. 1), the common practice is to enforce an unofficial cut-off for boys of July 1, or even June 1, if you can believe that! Summer/early fall girls are more likely to be admitted, but I have heard of several July girls receiving "too young" letters as well. This unfortunate fact of life means that my August boy will almost certainly be 3 years behind his sister, who is not-quite 2 years 5 months older than him. My husband likes this trend, as he was the youngest in his class as an August b-day, and he thinks it will be great for our August son to be among the oldest. So never fret for your nephew - he will have a great shot as an older entering K next year! Plus, there is round 2 of the public school lottery, which I didn't even get into for space constraint purposes....

Hi again, Here in San Francisco, "independent school" is synonymous with "private school." Our school has a religious affiliation, but is still called an "independent school." The Friends (Quaker) School (which is a wonderful place!) also calls itself "independent." I think that possibly the Catholic schools associated with specific dioceses (sp, forgive me) do not call themselves "independent" because they call themselves "parochial" but I'm sure it's a regional thing. Thanks for the congratulations! What I did learn is there there are tons of exceptional school options in San Francisco both on the public and private/independent/parochial sides -- you just have to work hard to enroll at them! Fortunately, you just need one per child :)

Hear, hear, sista!!

The whole "divisive" and "unlikeable" accusations are the very sort of statements that stem in part from prejudice. The truth is that there are certain people who will NEVER vote for a woman because she is a woman. There are possibly even more people who will NEVER vote for person, male or female, because they are African American. I profoundly believe that our RESPONSIBILITY in this election is to prove those people wrong. Remember that many of the words used to insult Senator Clinton -- including "strident" and "oppositional" -- are compliments when used to describe men: "powerful," "commanding." The truth is that Hillary Clinton is the powerful, commanding candidate. She also has SWEPT the states whose votes are not counted (completely unfairly, finessed by the entrenched infrastructure): Michigan and Florida, with no marketing whatsoever. If you are ever lucky enough to meet Mrs. Clinton in person -- as I have done twice -- you will see that she is the warmest, kindest, most genuine person. She is neither divisive nor oppositional. She exudes commitment and integrity. She's simply amazing. And when more and more people get to know her, watch her on TV, go to large assemblies, they'll see that. She can, and will, be the next U.S. President if she wins tomorrow. I also want to add one note about the health care. There's just no comparison among health care plans offered by the candidates. Senator Clinton, who has dedicated her life to insuring the uninsured, and can be credited with insuring EIGHT MILLION UNINSURED CHILDREN with the schip program, nails the insurance issue. And no other candidate comes close. Read Paul Krugman's explanation here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin Ok, tinyurl here: http://tinyurl.com/2cp7ch

That is so incredibly sweet. Yom Kippur serves such a healthy purpose and it's so impressive that your sons felt it on such a deep level! What sweethearts.

Jill, I'm with you! Weapons are strictly banned at my children's preschool, even with notes that go out around costume days that remind the parents of the rule. I don't care if girls or boys or dogs or cats or whatever. Guns kill people and they scare me! I do actually have a boy, and he has never played with guns ... so far at least ... and since he doesn't get it at preschool, where he spends 9-10 hours/day, it would have to be from us. And we sure won't give him one.

My understanding actually is that the majority of mothers actually work outside the home in the U.S.. According to this report, more than 70 percent of all mothers work outside the home: http://www.epinet.org/newsroom/releases/2005/05/050503_Mothers_Day_Facts.pdf

Oh, and to clarify, for those who pick this apart: I am really sorry. I have learned a lot. I am sorry.

Great, thank you! Please, if you are reading this, or if someone can please email this to you, let it be known that I have no beef with you or any argument, and that we are not in a disagreement. I don't want to be interviewed or on tv about this, and I am beyond disappointed that ABC and all of the other news sources used me against my wishes and without my permission. I have been trying to get them to take down my name, or at least the photos of my children, but they won't. I want my privacy back, as I am not running for office and am trying to shield my family. I just want to say thank you and please can we let this go away now? Let's call it a misunderstanding. I am deeply sorry for the controversy this started, and I am deeply sorry that I hurt your feelings. Thank you. And I hope you live a long, beautiful with your family and that you enjoy good health for many many years.

One thing Elizabeth wrote, that people keep latching on to is this: "With all due respect, what you would choose to do is relevant only once: when you choose how to spend your remaining days." I couldn't disagree more. What we choose to do is always relevant, whether we are dying or not. Especially when we do it in the public eye. I'm just sayin'.

One other, I swear, last quick thought: Beth, PLEASE read the Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/us/politics/26kids.html The reason I was mad is because Jack CLEARLY didn't want to speak to the press. The implication was that he REALLY didn't want to be put through the horse-and-pony show, but HIS FATHER FORCED HIM. For crying out loud, even Ozzy Osborne allowed his oldest child to opt out of his television show. The Edwards children are not being given a choice to opt out. This decision is being made for them -- whether or not they want to see their friends, whether or not they want to have attention from their parents, even whether or not they want to speak to a reporter. I respect your POV, but I still find it sad, sad, sad that the Edwards are forcing their children through this. Some day we will all find out the truth in their autobiographies. Hopefully we won't be reading about their drug addiction problems in Us Weekly as well.

All kids think they would rather ride in a bus, until they get in that bus and they realize that Mommy and Daddy are too busy working to pay attention to them. Has anyone ever brought their kids to work and had the kids be HAPPY about being ignored all day? Seriously, all kids would love the thought of riding around in a bus with their parents, fun fun! No school! But the reality is a complete nightmare. There is a REASON that most politicians in the past have left their kids at home. There is a REASON that celebrities are criticized for carrying their kids around for photo-ops, Brittney-style. Children are not fashion accessories. They are not props to show what a "Family Man" a candidate is. Children deserve attention. Want to know what life is REALLY like for children on the road? Go ask the child stars who turn into drug addicts. Go ask Brittney's kids. Go ask the Jolie-Pitts. Even ask Danny Badaducci. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0093697/ The reality is always much, much, much different from the dream.

I have been thinking about it and maybe the kids are having fun on the bus.

Oh Dear, Glennia, your post came out as I was writing mine. And I was going to complement you on it, until I read the last paragraph, which surprised me. Yes, free speech, especially of a political nature, does protect speech that comes from a person's ass. If not, most political speeches would lead to criminal conviction! And, to clarify, despite my attempts at snarkiness and humor, I have attempted to be consistent in why I support one candidate over another. Although record, experience and stands on issues are of course essential, what I think is most important is putting in a Democratic candidate who will carry the General Election - otherwise, none of it matters. And at this point, despite criticisms that many people have made (most of which I disagree with, but reasonable minds may disagree), the candidate most likely to carry is Hillary Clinton. And that would be the case whether or not she liked my dress, or whether or not she showed such great love for her daughter, who will be old enough to run for office some day too.

Emerge is really awesome, and I'm so glad you posted this!

What does that mean, "daycare oriented?" I keep hearing that, "daycare oriented." Does "daycare oriented" mean that it is oriented towards children of working parents? Does it mean that the hours are longer? For the life of me -- and, ... oh no, I feel a post coming! -- the only times I hear "daycare oriented" are when people are complaining that there are too many working moms around. Otherwise, as far as I can tell, it only means that the same fun stuff continues until 6 PM when we working stiffs can (barely) make it to pick up the kids on time.

Heh, I don't have an excuse for why my 2-year-old still has a bottle or two a day. He just does. We had a doctor-friend over for dinner the other night, and I mentioned the bottle issue. He seemed to think it was highly overblown. All things in moderation, right?