Essential Estrogen

“The world taught women nothing skillful and then said her work was valueless. It permitted her no opinions and said she did not know how to think. It forbade her to speak in public and said the sex had no orators. It denied her the schools, and said the sex had no genius. It robbed her of every vestige of responsibility, and then called her weak. It taught her that every pleasure must come as a favor from men and when, to gain it, she decked herself in paint and fine feathers, as she had been taught to do, it called her vain.”
~Carrie Chapman Catt, 1902, in a speech before the the National American Woman Suffrage Association

Women are the original multi-taskers. By either design or necessity, we have learned not only to balance the various aspects of our lives, but to take information from two seemingly unrelated aspects and make them compliment one another. That is, we've taken experiences from the playground and applied them to our first job. We've taken experience from grade school and applied them to our marriage. We've taken experiences from church and applied them to work. There isn't a single part of our life which has stood without impacting another.

It is impossible to celebrate our mothers or our lives as mothers without taking a moment to consider how that very important life role has helped to shape who we are and what we do.

"My mother was hard working, had a great sense of humor, enjoyed life, always tried to fix what was wrong, and loved herself," said Iowa Rep. Helen Miller. "I work hard for my constituents, do my work with humor -- makes it easier for everyone, allow no one to steal of compromise my 'joy,' do my best to put and keep things 'right,' and take care of myself physically, emotionally and psychologically. These are not bad traits for any line of work including, but not limited to, parenting and legislating.

"I see my legislative role much like that of a parent working to do her best for individuals and groups who may be needy, confident, pushy, sensitive, unreasonable, helpful, angry, and more. It helps to call upon memories, analogies and quotes from my child-rearing days -- those child-rearing days are not unlike my work now. It was necessary then and it is necessary now to constantly maneuver through unfamiliar territory in terms of attitudes, beliefs, personalities, situations, people and places. All my children, by the way, turned out just fine."

Her follow legislator Rep. Vicki Lensing agrees.

"Becoming a mother is life-changing and the only training we have is what we know – from our own mothers and women in our lives that have taught, modeled and influenced us," she said. "It brings us skills, strengths and weaknesses. It releases within us feelings that we have never felt before in quite the same way as motherhood brings to us.

"As a mother, I found new depths of patience and understanding, of hope and pride, of vulnerability and acceptance that I do not have all the answers and that I cannot be there always and a bottomless sense of responsibility and accomplishment for this person before me."

Lensing also agrees there are many roles women hold -- the exact "list is unique and endless for each of us" -- and each role impacts our decision making and forces us to look beyond ourselves.

"As mothers, we are obliged to role-model, to make rules and to see each child as an individual – and sometimes these duties are in conflict with one another," she added. "Decisions that are clear cut and easy in the office become blurred at home – priorities take on a new ranking after motherhood – and emotions run under the surface as we view the world as a mother, wanting to protect and nurture our children in a place that is not always safe, certain, secure or predictable. Unconditional love and acceptance become second nature as a mother."

She summed it up by saying, "As a legislator, I have to study, question, understand and make policy that impacts all Iowans. This job includes many of the skills I have learned as a mother. As for my personal identity, I see myself as being more than a mother – but the impact of this role adds to who I am. I think it adds depth to who I have become – because my role as a mother continues to change as my children grow up and that forces me to continue to grow and learn as a person. I may stumble along the way but it brings a sense of accomplishment of which I never dreamed."

We wish all the women out there -- mothers or not -- the happiest of days. In the coming years, may we learn to live and lift our voices in sweet harmony.