Moms

My Mother’s name was Mary and like her name she lived a plain and uneventful life without thunder, her birth however was another story. She was born in 1927 in a tent city in Bowlegs Oklahoma during a smallpox epidemic. She was born into extreme poverty and was premature at 4½ lbs. My grandmother had been caring for her sisters and their children who had smallpox. To get to them she rode in a wagon 15 miles each way over a rutted and bumpy road which is believed to have caused early labor.

I have a piece on The Huffington Post (Living Section) about how President Obama's emphasis on national service, and Michelle Obama's role as "Mom-in-Chief" may boost the marketability of women who want to return to the workforce. I wrote the piece after Caroline Kennedy withdrew her name for consideration for the NY Senate seat. So many women and commentators had weighed in on whether her years as a volunteer were a sufficient foundation for the job she sought.

When stay-at-home-mom Tracy Brennan couldn't find a good store for skin products she started her own; now her business is growing blemish-free.

By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer June 6 2007: 10:22 AM