Enbedded reporting from the Mommy Wars

Oh God I hate this war. Let me tell you I am worlds worst feminist. I just don't have it in me. I would make Geraldine Ferraro cry. I love being the woman behind the man.

I'm that right now when I my son and I go to our volunteer job at the Obama Campaign. I work for a extremely smart man who will be more than his share responsible if Missouri goes democrat in November. The man can't get online without my help half the time and I love that.

I call it 'Donna Moss Syndrome'. She was assistant to the deputy chief of staff on Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing. He couldn't do a damn thing with out Donna. He got all the glory, she got all the satisfaction. That's the way it is with me. Honestly, it doesn't have to be a man. The other campaign staffer in my office is a woman and I love her too, but she can log onto the Internet just fine.

I cannot think of one time in my life I was treated unfairly because I was a woman. I cannot think of one job I didn't get, or opportunity I missed out on because a man less or equally as qualified got it.

What I do know is, my children need their mother. Let me explain, my ex-husband and I co-parent. Our time and resources are more or less equal. I have them slightly more, but he's no every other weekend kind of Dad. My daughter's adore him. They delight when he comes through the door at night to tuck them in. They spent the whole summer raving over the trips they took, the laps they swam and the games they played.

But when the shit hits the fan, they cry for their mother. Tim knows their pediatrician, but I know the questions we need to ask him. He knows their teachers, but I am the one who emails them reminders about food allergies and homework disasters. He knows what they love, and I know why.

Because I'm their mother.

My son follows me around the room with his eyes now. If I leave he cries. When I come back he smiles, and so it goes. He comes to my 'work' with me every week . I am his world, because I am his mother.

I'm getting at all of this because a friend of mine asked me what I thought of Sarah Palin. What I thought of her is such a loaded question. I am a democrat. I am a fierce Obama supporter and admittedly crappy feminist. I do love politics though and sometimes I allow myself to fantasize about being in the Senate, being Governor, being CEO, being a writer, or even just going back to my old job as a med tech.

But right now I'm a mom.

Right now I am at the bus stop, the birthday parties, the pediatrician, and the brownie meetings. Right now I begrudgingly serve breakfast at seven thirty am despite wanting to sleep another hour or two. Right now I suffer through yet another Chuck E Cheese party, yet another episode of Hannah Montana, yet another exciting game of 'where's the baby? there's the baby!!!'.

Because I'm the mom.

I can't be Vice President, or Senator, or CEO or a med tech, because I have a baby. I have a daughter with crazy food allergies and asthma. I have a sassy seven year old who needs to be taught when sarcasm is okay and when it's not. I have a sweet little four year old who's birth mother I promised I'd be there for.

I am a mom and that's important. It's enough. It's what I agreed to be when I became pregnant with my oldest seven and a half years ago.

I'm not saying don't work. Some people have to, some want to. I'm saying I won't put my kids off on a nanny or daycare. I won't shuffle them off to latchkey or grandma's.

I'm saying I'll live on less, I'll go without, so that they can have me.

I'm saying at 31, when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, I needed my mom.

At 17 I would have been lost without her.

That's all I'm saying.