Tag Archives: single mom

The Soapbox: I’ve Been A Single Mom And Rick Santorum Can Kiss My Ass

Jennifer BaumgardnerMarch 14, 2012 //
Ann Hates Single Moms
Ann Coulter photo
Ann Coulter trashed single mothers on the "Today" show. Read More »
Rick To Rape Victims
Rick Santorum talks to Piers Morgan
"Make the best out of a bad situation!" Read More »
Santorum on Lesbians
Today's Lady News
Says being a lesbian is a "choice." Read More »

Senator Rick Santorum — long known for his insightful analyses of same-sex marriage (a mere gateway, as he alluded, to human-dog couples) and more recently for his repudiation of education — proclaimed in 1994 that before single mothers continued on their heedless quest to destroy the “fabric of the country,” they needed a swift “kick in the butt.”

I was a single mom, living separately from my child’s father or any other adult, until my son was four. I worked full-time in order to support myself and my child and, during that time, there were many things I needed: child care that I could both trust and afford, health insurance (I worked freelance and was responsible for paying for own medical care), and the occasional night off. Topping that list, I now realize, should have been a kick in the butt.

Frankly, I’m flattered that a busy family man of Santorum’s stature would be willing to take time out of his day to spur me on, literally, as a responsible cowboy would his trusty (but, face it, lazy) horse. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Mike Huckabee Slams Natalie Portman For Having Baby “Out Of Wedlock”

Jessica WakemanMarch 4, 2011 //
  • Republican presidential nominee wannabe Mike Huckabee opened his big gaping maw to condemn Natalie Portman for having a baby “out of wedlock” with her fiancé, Benjamin Millipied. Huckabee criticized Portman on a conservative radio show.
    “One of the things that’s troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, ‘Hey look, you know, we’re having children, we’re not married, but we’re having these children, and they’re doing just fine.’ But there aren’t really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie. And I think it gives a distorted image that yes, not everybody hires nannies, and caretakers, and nurses. Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can’t get a job, and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care. And that’s the story that we’re not seeing, and it’s unfortunate that we glorify and glamorize the idea of out of children wedlock.”

    I see the point Huckabee is getting at, but I’d say the bigger problem isn’t the single moms but the dads who choose not to be in their kids lives or who aren’t worthy of being there. Why cast judgment on the single mothers alone? [The Huffington Post]

Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Military To Discharge Single Mom Who Refused Deployment

Jessica WakemanFebruary 12, 2010 //
  • The Army has decided to discharge Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because she could not find care for her 1-year-old son. The 21-year-old Army cook was arrested in November and faced a court marshal. However, a general at Fort Stewart in California granted Hutchinson an administrative discharge, which means she will be demoted in ranking and lose her benefits. [Yahoo]
  • Saudi Arabia‘s religious police, the muttawa, are cracking down on Valentine’s Day, patrolling stores for any signs of banned roses, chocolates, cards and stuffed animals. According to The Times of London dating in the Western sense, including the public amorous gestures that occur on Valentine’s Day, is simply not acceptable. [The Times Online]
  • Kate Winslet has been tapped to star in an HBO miniseries based on the 1945 film “Mildred Pierce.” Joan Crawford won a Best Actress award for the movie, which is about a woman abandoned by her husband who becomes financially independent and successful, yet is still hated by her bratty daughter. [Variety]

Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Military Police Arrest A Single Mom For Refusing Deployment

Jessica WakemanNovember 17, 2009 //
  • Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, an Army cook, was arrested by military police and contained at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, after she refused deployment to Afghanistan by not showing up for her flight. Hutchinson, a 21-year-old single mother, said she hasn’t been able to find care for her 10-month-old son, Kamani, while she is gone, explaining that her mother is overwhelmed by caring for three sick relatives. Hutchinson’s attorney said one of her superiors told her Kamani would be placed in foster care if Hutchinson couldn’t find care during her deployment. A spokesperson for Hunter Army Airfield said he does not know what Hutchinson was told by her superior, but she wouldn’t be deployed unless she could find Kamani care. Hutchinson’s mother ended up flying from California to Georgia to pick up Kamani anyway, since her daughter could face charges from the Army for going AWOL. [AP]

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Would America Fall In Love With A Single Mom As “The Bachelorette”?

Amelia McDonell-ParryFebruary 17, 2009 //

“The Bachelor” is about to wrap up its 13th season (or the 16th, if you include the four seasons of “The Bachelorette”), but hasn’t really been the subject of water cooler talk for years. It’s been enough of a success for ABC that they’ve kept it around this long, but studio execs finally struck oil again this season, by electing to feature Jason Mesnick as the man 25 women wanted to meet and marry. The show has seen a ratings surge of 37% above its last season (featuring my personal fave, The British Bach), and the network is already getting ready to do a casting call for a 14th season, after the fifth “Bachelorette” airs this summer. But can they recreate the success of this season? Only if they find another sexy single dad! It’s no coincidence that “The Bachelor” is suddenly the show to watch when the man in question is raising an adorable son on his own. After all, women LOVE a hot dad, especially a dad who has to shoulder the burden of parenthood all by his lonesome. All 25 women were eager to become insta-Step Mommies to Mesnick’s son — though most of them seem ill-equipped for the job. So what would happen if ABC tried the same approach with “The Bachelorette,” and found a (hot, always) single mom as its catch? Would 25 would be suitors come running, ready to be Insta-Step Daddies? Somehow I doubt it. Keep reading »