Strollerderby

wow - way to support moms who have jobs outside the home.  and ones that promote social justice, to boot.  how dare they?!  trying to help a community suffering the health consequences of industrial pollution?  how selfish!

So... push-up bras on moms cause teen drug abuse?  I'm not going to argue that a child who was sneaking out and doing drugs was well supervised, but this seems like awfully harsh condemnation given that you don't know the details of the situation ("no word on who Elizabeth stayed with").  Kids of virtuous stay-at-home moms sometimes sneak out and do drugs, too.

Really!? Are you serious!? Well she would have been 9 when the movie came out...I love how you all provide links to your summarized versions of stories written sometime somewhere...great way to kick off a Monday.

Erin wasn't "presumably trying" to good in the world, she actually WAS and IS doing going in the world. There are plenty of kids from homes with SAHM who also abuse drugs. This posting is quite offensive to working women. Do we judge men's professional accomplishments in light of how drug-free their kids are?

This is the most judgmental, sanctimonious, piece of $%^ writing I have ever seen on this blog and that is saying something...

Really? The only reason she won those lawsuits was by wearing a push-up bra?

Really? If I wear a push-up bra I should expect my kids to end up addicted to drugs?

Really? If I pursue a career I have passion for then I am, of course, a neglectful mother?

Thanks, KeriF, for letting us know where you stand.  Sheesh.

I don't always like or agree with what I read on Strollerderby, but this is truly the most offensive crap I've seen on this site. Amen to the sentiments above, and I hope that the powers that be at Babble think twice about keeping KeriF on board as a blogger. Sheesh.

OK, I know I will get some flack for these comments, but I do agree with Keri. How can you not know your kid is taking drugs? This is not about being a single mom, this is about knowing what your kids are up to.

I don't know Erin Brokovich personally, but I have encountered some people who are so involved in saving the world that they forget about their own families. (A lot of these people have been men, and I blame them as much as any woman.) We need a strong foundation for our future, and that comes from those who are children today. Everyone needs a balance between doing their work and raising their kids. This does not mean you have to watch your kids 24/7, but you do need to make sure you know where they are going, who they will be with, etc.

I'm with you, KeriF. Even if this piece is a bit sanctimonious, that doesn't excuse a parent not knowing about years of drug abuse. It also reminds me of Alice Walker's daughter (Rebecca?), who said that she herself and her childhood were basically sacrificed on the altar of her mother's success and pro-feminism (not that I think that feminism is a bad thing!). It's great if a parent can do something good to change the world, but sacrificing one's child shouldn't be part of the bargain. If this were a post about a Christian pastor (man or woman) who was away from home a lot taking care of his/her parishoners, or even working for "Christian" causes, and whose kids messed up, I'm willing to bet that almost all of the above commenters would tear said pastor down for screwing his/her kids over so he could pursue his own weird-o notion of "God's work." Family should ALWAYS come first, regardless of one's cause and intentions.

My Dad is a heroin addict and after thirty years his mother still doesn't know anything about it. Could be a generational thing.

So pushup bras result in child drug abuse? Does wearing Spanx make your kids smoke? I'll bet slipping on a pair of heels turns them onto a life of crime.

Get a grip. Your statement is offensive and off-base, and it pisses me off how woman get crucified again and again for "neglecting family" to pursue a cause passionately.  MLK Jr. was a crappy father and cheated on his wife. Gandhi's son became an alcoholic. Nelson Mandela missed all kids' childhoods because he was in prison. Should they have stayed home with the kids too?

Effecting great change on the world is hard work and sometimes has unpleasant consequences within the family. You can't count on single childless people to lead the revolution every time.

Just wondering, when did everyone here become judge and jury???  She worked, and she had to.  She was good at her job.  

I have a 19 year-old son.  He is a good kid.  I know where he is and his friends were/are mostly high school jock types.  Matt has lettered in 2 sports and orchestra in high school.  When he was 15, I found out he was smoking.  

My dad smoked.  So, if there was an odor on him, he could say it was because he was at his grandparent's house.  I found out because I was looking over his text messages and found out one of his friends told him she wished he would stop.  

I stay home.  I was a "team mom".  He was held accountable to me when he went somewhere.  

Who was she staying with when her mom left for whenever??? I'm not saying that Erin is totally not to blame for this, but how do you know your child isn't out doing something he/she isn't when he/she is with friends???  Are you sure??  The only way you can be sure is if you are with them 24/7 and with a middle schooler/teen, that just isn't always an option.  You can tell your child what your belief system is, and give them a good home, but the rest is a crapshoot.  It just takes one wrong friend, one wayward party, one bad night.  

So, maybe Erin is not mother of the year.  But I am telling you that I'm not either, and I'm sure most of you aren't either.  

She/he who is the perfect parent, has no children.

My mom was super-involved with me. I had two great parents who had high expectations for me. Neither of them traveled extensively, and they talked to me all the time. They always wanted to know who I was with and where I was. I still found ways to sneak out and do whatever I wanted to do. Sometimes teenagers do that.

Wow, you're an ass.

Kids do bad things. It happens. Just because some 17 year old girl runs to the media to whine about her famous mom doesn't mean her mom actually deserves it. Did she run with a bad crowd? What about the dad? There's nothing here to suggest that the mom did anything to actually spur on the drug use. Because she helped w/ a movie? PLEASE!

Keep the sanctimonious self-righteousness out if it please.

Crap like this is one great way to keep me from coming back.