Like Romney, Mom didn’t punch a clock or get a paycheck or any of that. She might have endured less stress and finagled more sleep if she had. But her arrangement with Dad was traditional: he sweated the income, she sweated the rest. Actually, it wasn’t so traditional, because the rest included the bill paying, the checkbook balancing, the wrangling with the roofer, the wrangling with the electrician, the car selection, the school selection, you name it.
The major decisions were all hers. While Dad playacted the part of president, Mom was both House and Senate, with supermajorities that could override all vetoes. She was also Supreme Court, poised to strike down any of his individual mandates.
That pretty much describes my parents' marriage. And I would never say that my mom didn't work; she did. But, like Ms. Romney, she didn't have to work outside the home. The world was different back then. My dad, like Mitt Romney, could support a wife and five kids on his salary alone.
Today, however, it often takes two paychecks to make ends meet. At least it does at our house. And, yeah, while I've changed my share of diapers and helped with the cooking and cleaning, my wife has done the lion's share of the work around the house -- all while holding down a job. Sound familiar, guys?
Let's face it: no matter how hard a woman works outside the home, she'll always care more about what goes on inside the home. And so she'll always do more than her husband.
So while it's true that Ann Romney worked hard at raising five sons (didn't she have any help?), it's also true that she did all that without having to work outside the home. Most women today don't have that choice.
So, considering that, Ms. Rosen is right. And Ann Romney probably has no idea what it's like to be a working mom today.
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