Mom's Day

Sunday is Mother's Day.  A new group I stumbled across came via an email that turns your favorite mother into "Mom of the Year" in a CNN-style news video.  Pretty cool technology. 

You can make your own here and send a personalized greeting to the mom of your choice.  I sent off a bunch to my favorite moms.

The video is fun and one of those times where I conclude that computers totally rock!  

(The day I really fell in love with computers occurred when I was able to choose a wedding present for a friend in Florida while still in my local Virginia J.C. Penney's, pay for it with my credit card, and have it wrapped and sent from the local Florida store!  Awesome! That transaction took a half hour vs. the previous shopping, wrapping, packaging, mailing that would eat up the better part of a day/week.  I try to remember these happy  moments when that annoying paper-clip guy in Microsoft interrupts my powerpoint to ask me what I'm doing!)

The group producing the video is Mom's Rising.  And since the video might just go viral its a great vehicle for getting the word out.  

I hadn't heard of this group before even though, according to their website, it's been around since 2006 and came out of the Moveon.org model. 

But I am with them on their issues, listed as: Maternity & Paternity Leave; Open Flexible Work; TV & and After School Issues; Health Care for All Kids; Excellent Childcare; Realistic and Fair Wages; Sick Days Paid. (Look! The issues spell MOTHERS)

The marginalizing of mothers through policy ultimately affects all of us - and schools and their effectiveness.  Here are a few facts from the site:

- A full quarter of U.S. families with children less than six years old live in poverty. 

- Nine million children are without healthcare coverage and many more are under-insured.

- Women without children make 90 cents to a man’s dollar, but mothers make just 73 cents, and single mothers make even less -- about 60 cents to a man’s dollar.

- Fourteen million children are unsupervised after school. 40,000 of these are kindergartners due to a lack of affordable afterschool programs.

Check it out for yourself.  

And this year really honor your mother by making her more than a second-class citizen.