Lasting security a Mother's Day wish for many

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As Mother's Day approaches each year, my son asks me what I want. I always have the same answer. "Give me something to put in the ground," like another rosebush for my garden so the gift will be everlasting.

Millions of dollars may be spent on flowers and other trinkets this weekend, but Mother's Day should be more than a commercialized Hallmark holiday.

After all, the May holiday was started by women protesting war.

Being a parent, especially a single mother, is no easy feat. In today's tight economy, it's becoming a privilege, not a choice, to be a stay-at-home mom.

"The greatest gift I can have this Mother's Day is to see my children whole, healthy and functioning adults," said Linda Butler of Prince William County, Va., who raised herself and her two daughters out of poverty with the help of a Washington Area Women's Foundation program.

A few local policy-makers and organizations, including WAWF, are appropriately sending out an important message this weekend about parenting and providing lasting gifts for the primary caretakers of America's children.

The Children's Defense Fund, for example, is asking its supporters to call their congressional representatives to seek passage of the All Healthy Children Act. "Please join us as Mother's Day approaches to provide all moms the best Mother's Day present -- the security of knowing that their child can get the health care they need."

The organization notes that 9 million American children are uninsured and millions more are underinsured. Because every 47 seconds a child is born without health insurance, that figure computes to 1,839 babies on Mother's Day alone.

"It's like a house of cards, if [a mother] loses one piece, it all falls apart," said Nisha Patel, a child care specialist and program officer for WAWF's Stepping Stones Initiative. "If women lose child care, they lose their jobs. If they lose their jobs, they can't pay the rent. If they can't pay the rent, you lose your home," and so on.

This morning, WAWF and the Urban Institute are sponsoring their second annual briefing on the economic policies affecting low-income families led by women and the supports they need to remain in the work force. Open to the public, it will be held at the Katharine Graham Conference Center, 2100 M St. NW. More information is available at thewomensfoundation.org and www.urban.org.