Something has been on mind the last few days. The last three blog posts I have attempted to write have been all on the same topic. I have decided to turn them into two blog posts and this is the first of a two part series.
The topic is parenting. The relationship between parents and their children.
It is a timely subject as the Jewish Calendar turns the page into a new year. A major element of the Rosh Hashana liturgy is the relationship between us and God. That relationship takes a few forms. One form is that of a parent to a child.
On Sunday, Kim Clijsters won the US Open. The US Open is a Tennis Tournament featuring the greatest players in the world. Clijsters was a dominant tennis player a few years ago and then she took a break to have a baby. She had the baby and two and a half years later came back to competitive tennis. Her first major tournament in her comeback was the US Open. And she won.
What struck me is the media’s attention to the fact that she was a mother and yet somehow was able beat the odds and win the US Open. I think that is noteworthy because parents have different priorities than non-parents. Parents put their kids first and their lives second. That Clijsters could be a mother whose primary concern was her child and still had enough in the tank to train and compete and win is very impressive.
Clijsters demonstrated the true strength of being a woman. She demonstrated the ability to have her cake and eat it too. Clijsters is at the top of her professional world and is also a relatively new mother. Congratulations.
On the other hand, I just can’t help but wonder how all this affects her child.
Is there a cost? Does her child miss her mother when she spends long hours training? Should a mother of a young child be spending more time with her child?
I think it is great that women have opportunities for success. I really do.
But what about the child? What if the father is also working a tough, time consuming job?
Who raises the children?
I know that this question is broader than Kim Clijsters winning the US Open. But the media attention surroounding her success and motherhood got me thinking.
What is the feminist approach to this issue? How are parenting duties divided when both parents work? Does it even matter? Or are children just as well off being raised by paid surrogates?
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