Theresa Kerry attempts to remove Jack’s thumb from his mouth during a big photo op (credit: Stephen Crowley/NYT)
A message to Theresa Kerry from the babies and parents of America: let Jack be Jack!! Clearly, she knows nothing about children to think that Jack Edwards should have to learn photography ‘decorum’ at the ripe old age of 4. Let him suck his thumb, Theresa. Who cares that it spoils your nice adult photo op! C’mon Theresa, you raised children of your own lo these many years ago. You should know better. Or I should say, you had children of your own. Whether you raised them yourself I guess is in question. Probably, nannies raised your kids.
Seriously, Jack’s not running for President. He’s not even old enough to know how to pose for a properly decorous photograph. Let him be a kid, Theresa! There’s plenty of time for him to learn the niceties of proper adult behavior.
I object, sir! First of all, unfair jab at Theresa re: nannies. Most of the moms you know hire childcare for one reason or another. Is Theresa morally culpable because she might have had childcare providers without needing to leave the home to work??? I’m a middle class mom, stay at home, and I occasionally drop my 3 year old off to a babysitter while my 4 year old is in school. Am I also worthy of your contempt, or do I get a pass because I’m not rich?
It logically doesn’t follow. You don’t know if or how much childcare Mrs. Kerry had, so don’t judge her.
Regarding the thumb interference – I thought it was a funny moment, and it told me that Mrs. Kerry is very maternal in that Mediterranean way many Semites also understand. I agree with you that kids ought to be left alone about their thumbs, but in practice I’m sure I might have done the same thing to somebody else’s kid. It’s one of those uncontrollable mom things. That her own grown son stood behind her laughing made it all the better – he knew what Mom was up to.
But in general I love the focus of your site. Keep up the good work. Just don’t pick on Moms!
Leila missed much of what I was trying to say.
First, I wasn’t attacking Theresa Kerry because she used nannies to raise her children. After all, while I provide half time childcare for our son, we too have a part time nanny. There’s nothing whatever wrong with hiring nannies. But I surmise that she probably totally ceded the raising of her children to others so that she could continue her social, political and philanthropic life. Shooing Jack’s thumb from his mouth told me that she’s a woman completely out of touch with child rearing. Or possibly she’s incredibly uptight, stifling & a perfectionist which would make her uncomfortable with Jack’s innocent behavior. Either way, it’s not terribly comforting to me.
You used the strong words “contempt” & “moral culpability” to describe my criticism of Ms. Kerry. Not at all. I was poking fun at her uptight behavior & not at all expressing contempt for her or denouncing her morally. I plan on voting for Kerry so I’m really on his (& her side) politically. But my view is that even those you support should hear criticism when it’s warranted.
It’s one thing to shoo the thumb from your own child’s mouth & quite another to do it to someone else’s. Personally, I think it’s unconscionable to do that to a child not your own. What gives you (not you personally, but rather Ms. Kerry) the right??