Brush Stroke
October 31, 2013
   
Greetings! 
Check Out What's In This Issue
Prisons or Pre-School; Which Gives More Value for the Money?
"We Are Going to Most Regret The Way We Treated Mothers and Children"
Was the Government Shutdown All A Bad Dream?
The Letter, But Not the Spirit, of the Bankruptcy Code
Break Time for Nursing Mothers.
If You're Going to San Francisco
Are Men Living in an Alternative Universe?
Your Gift Makes a Difference for Families
Who Wrote the Book On Motherhood?

Please check out our MOTHERS Book Bag group at Goodreads.com.  You'll find it all between the covers of a book!

 

 

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The National Association of Mothers' Centers (NAMC) provides programs that empower mothers, fathers and caregivers to find solutions that work for their families, their work lives and their personal lives.
Prisons or Pre-School; Which Gives More Value for the Money?
Anchor

Can quality pre-school increase a child's income potential, make incarceration and teen pregnancy less likely, and improve their health across the lifespan?  (And help moms too?) Why, yes, it does!  As a nation we'll be spending that money either way, and personally I'd rather it go to pre-school, for the reasons Nick Kristof puts in this column in the New York Times.

PublicPolicyCould Public Policy Make  Your Life Better?  You Bet!

Raise the minimum wage, ensure equal pay for women, and affordable child care  for all who want it - three concrete ways policy can level the playing field and help women and families work their way to economic security.  Pressed for time?  Zip right to minute 19 and see supermom Danelle Buchman (like me a Maryland mom) speak truth to Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Barbara Mikulski about the absolute necessity for PAID FAMILY LEAVE.

GovernmentWas the Government Shutdown All A Bad Dream?

Woman Speaker It's no longer in the news, and it was a frightful waste of public money and time - but there was something very positive about how the shutdown ended.  It put the spotlight on the women of the Congress and their ability to get done what others can't.  Here's a sampling:

Now that we've established (once and for all) that women can legislate effectively, can we please vote more of them into office?

LetterThe Letter, But Not the Spirit, of the Bankruptcy Code

When a city declares bankruptcy, is the impact different for men and women?  I'm glad you asked.  Yes!  For men, it's bad.  For women, it's worse.  And it may not even be necessary.  From the Ms.Blog:

 

They have succeeded in convincing many Americans that teachers, police officers, social workers, firefighters and government workers are the cause of our economic woes-not tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. I'm not unaware of the huge mistakes, calculations and possible crimes that were committed by people making decisions about Detroit's finances, but it certainly wasn't the individual city worker who made those decisions or even knew about them. They shouldn't be punished for the incompetence that led to this crisis. In addition to city officials who made bad deals, the financial wizards who sold Detroit the financial products that made the problem worse should have to accept some of the blame. They certainly shouldn't be first in line to collect on the debts their faulty financial instruments helped create.

 

It's utterly unjust that retired city or state employees, who bargained down compensation when working to ensure pension security in retirement, now find themselves without two cents to rub together.  They did play by the rules, worked hard and thought they'd taken care of retirement funding.  #unacceptable!

Breast Pump

Did you know that since March 2010, when Obamacare began to be effective, nursing mothers were guaranteed breaktime at work for breastfeeding?  Find out what the law affords you, and see other great resources on why breastfeeding is even beneficial for your employer  here.  Feel free to "express yourself"!!  (see what I did there? #crackingmyselfup.) 

You now have the right to request a flexible work schedule to care for a family member without fear of the employer retaliating by firing you or taking other punitive action.  This is a critical first step to get workplace conversations going about how the work can be done and the workers' family obligations be honored at the same time.  So, hats off to San Fran, and the great state of Vermont too, which passed a similar provision last spring.  More here.
LivingAre Men Living in an Alternative Universe?

When it comes to being a full partner on the homefront, are men really doing as much as they think they are doing?  Do they take family leave when a new baby is born?  Would  they prefer to be the full time family caregiver as a stay at home dad?  Here's a six minute clip on dads' attitudes from the Work Family Institute, and how dads fit into work/family experience and changing workplace policy.

Mothers with baby

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