Okay, so now, even the Queen likes her. But we knew she would. Michelle is every woman, every experience. She’s been to all the bus stops on the route. And she’s still riding, with just the right attitude, appreciation and contribution, which is what we, as women, love about her.
Since January, she has selected certain areas in which she can influence thinking, mainly focusing on family, children, the home. Of course, we know, though, that she can have a farther reach, given her own professional and educational pedigree. I am waiting for that.
I know, as a mom with young daughters, and as a mom with similar pedigree, that when you become a mom, the pedigree doesn’t go away. You are a pedigreed mom, approaching the job with the same gusto, research skills, academic prowess and sensibility that you would if you were running a small nation, or a large one. Raising kids is most important, and if you do it right, everything else follows, as best as it can, for the most part. It also informs you in many other venues, beyond the garden, the school. You become better in the boardroom, in the state house, in the operating room, if you use mom skills, rather than separate them, or leave them at home. I think women have learned this since the 1980s, when they wore the bowties.
Anyway, my hunch is that Michelle will stretch out, naturally, into some other places, and I hope she does.
Pamela Gwyn Kripke 