What can Michelle Obama do for working mothers?

Reuters has a long and interesting — but speculative — article on the role Michelle Obama might play as First Lady (Working moms look to Michelle Obama for change)… and this single mother is curious to see if our new Woman in the White House will bring the cause of working mothers the sort of scrutiny it deserves. Because let’s face it. In this economy, having children will put families in the poor house. There’s something wrong with that.

Consider child care, which can cost so much that families sometimes have to choose if they can afford to work. And what about paid maternity leave? It’s not mandated in the United States, which puts the U.S. in less than desireable company, as the Reuters article points out: Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Liberia are the other three countries that do not require paid maternity leave.

I’ve read too many articles about how we need flexible working schedules, flexible opportunities to work from home, affordable health care, affordable child care that still somehow offers caregivers a living wage, decent public schools, safe streets and playgrounds. We keep talking about it, and I know there are pockets of people across the nation who try to change their little corners of the world. But it’s not enough, and we’re going to have to stop taking the easy way out, stop looking for quick fixes, and make fundamental changes to bring about a lasting infrastructure that values education and invests in our nation’s greatest resources: its children.

Come on, Mrs. Obama. You’ve got more depth in you than simply baking cookies and reading stories. But your back to this one, lady, and I know you can bring about great changes. This single mother will be behind you.