Hilary Rosen

Once I heard a young African national teenager living in Washington D.C. give an interview, saying he was not allowed to quit school to sign a multi-million dollar contract with an Italian soccer league because his mom thought he needed an education if she couldn't be with him abroad.
She couldn't be with him because she had other younger children and she did not want her young son, because of the money he would earn, have to act as head of his family in yet another foreign country.
The young man then forced himself to graduate high school early so mom would sign the papers
for him to go, and she did. His dad had left the family, not much taking to Americanization.
Mom kept her promise. When her son graduated with honors from high school, she signed for
him to go abroad, even though he was not yet of age. He did, after all, become a soccer star.
This young man described his mom as someone who worked from 7am to 3pm during the day.
She had a second job she had to work from 4pm until midnight.
She got a few hours sleep between jobs, but took care of her children by setting things up for
them while she should have been sleeping.
I worked like that for a while when I was young.
I had to take high pay part-time temp jobs with no benefits.
I worked one job during the day.
I worked another Monday and Wednesday nights.
I worked a third Tuesday and Thursday nights.
I worked a fourth on Saturday mornings.
I worked a fifth on Sunday mornings.
My little kindergartener got into trouble at school, so I resentfully took the time to go in and see
what the teacher could be complaining about so early in this little one's educational life.
"She is in trouble for telling lies", the teacher explained.
"She keeps saying her mother has five jobs, and I told her no one can have five jobs."
I was quite embarrassed. Of course I hadn't explained to my small one anything unusual about our lifestyle.
Well, I needed five jobs, because the children's dad was a true deadbeat; the jobs were part-time, and there were five of us.
Yes, whenever I was not working, I did have to keep up the children's dentist appointments,
the pediatricians' appointments, the laundromat, the cleaners, the grocery store, the post office,
the upkeep on the car (for as long as we managed to have a car) cleaning the fridge, and for three
years- the ironing. (They do get bigger eventually.) I did the housecleaning, the cooking, the parent-teacher conferences, and for some schools, a packed lunch.
My family was way too busy to help with any of it. I will say this: I was a native English speaker.
Twice, however, I wound up with walking pneumonia.
My life wasn't half as bad as some. My goals were partially met because I had gotten my bachelor's degree, and two of the children graduated from Ivory League universities. Another graduated from a city university with a professional degree. So three of them avoided the struggle of working without an education.
If Hilary Rosen does owe Mrs. Romney an apology, however, I'd love her to know she doesn't have to speak for the Obama campaign, and she sure doesn't owe me an apology. Somehow, I know millions of American women agree with me on this!