We’ve often heard: “A mother’s work is never done.” It’s clear that mothers often operate on a 24/7 schedule, attending to individual family members while keeping an eye on the overall state of the household.
With Mother’s Day on Sunday, we all should be reminded of how much is expected, and too often taken for granted, when a woman becomes a mother.
The heart of of that work, of course, involves the children. Worrying comes with the territory, no matter how old one’s offspring may be. Motherhood doesn’t end when a child hits 18.
Mothers (and fathers) want the best for their children. It’s a tough job by any measure. But few of us can imagine what it must be like to be a mother raising children in the fish bowl known as the White House.
Children have long been part of the first family, though in our country’s early years, many of the children whose father was president were grown up. Strictly speaking then, the first child in the White House was a 4-year-old granddaughter of John and Abigail Adams. The first children to call the White House home were the younger sons of Mary and Abraham Lincoln, Todd and Willie.
Although the Lincoln household may not have come under the constant public scrutiny that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle experience, one should realize that at the time, the public could come calling on the president. We also know that Willie Lincoln died of typhoid fever, a death that caused his mother to grieve for months.
And since Lincoln’s time, there have been plenty of other children growing up in the White House. From the brood of Edith and Theodore Roosevelt to the children of John and Jacqueline Kennedy, the doings of these youngsters have captured the imagination of the American public.
Which brings us to the current occupants of the White House.
Michelle Obama is well known in her public role as first lady, and in her only slightly less public one as mother to Malia and Natasha. During this time she has had the help of her mother, Marian Robinson, perhaps proving that a mother’s work is never done.
In a 2013 interview, Michelle Obama reflected on being a mother and the lessons her mother provided. “What my mom taught me and continues to teach me is patience and good humor and common sense and openness. … And she has taught me that one of the best things I can do for my daughters is to listen, not talk or always give advice, but to be there with an open ear and a warm hug and an understanding heart …”
Michelle Obama might now add to that list shielding her daughter from the hatred and vitriol that routinely spew from social media and websites, such as the racist comments reacting to Malia’s plans to attend Harvard in 2017 after taking a year off from school.
Just like any mother would.