Francesca Biller-safran: It's Stylish And Smart To Be A Mother Again, Thanks To Michelle Obama

It's seems stylish and even respectable again in political and social circles to admit that you may consider motherhood as important as any career, thanks to First Lady Michelle Obama. Even though her resume lists a six-figure salary and a record of community organizing that rivals her husband's, she has made it clear that motherhood for the moment is her first and highest commitment; not only an important choice for her family, but a personally desirable one as well. Imagine that, truly the workings of pro-choice at its finest hour. Smart women have always known the importance of motherhood for themselves and their families, even though many have been told by their mothers and even slight feminists that putting careers first is the most important gift we can give to our children and theirs. Most women can't afford "not to work'" anyway, but for those who choose to leave successful careers, many have felt the need to dismiss the interim title of full-time mother as an equally justifiable and worthwhile title. She also does not defend her decision to women who can't afford to leave jobs to be with their children, who see her as taking a back seat to her husband, or to those who have chosen the cynical view that she has been branded and groomed by the political elite as the perfect American wife and mother, fearing she has somehow turned back the clock for all women. But she has turned the clock, not back -- but entirely on its head, forcing us all to be more in the presence of our own decisions, whatever choices we decide to make. This may just be the most important and valuable lesson she teaches us all. She has made a choice, politically correct or not, and has done so without self-aggrandizing statements, preachy sentiments or lengthy explanations. Mrs.