I am awed by mother.  Not only did she raise my sister and me while working long hours at tough jobs (she is currently a probation officer), but she was also extensively involved in the PTA, never missed any of my football games, ensured that the family would spend time together over meals, and was always there for me as my best friend.     

This Mothers' Day, the Washington Post ran two excellent editorials about the challenges faced by working moms and the need for expansion of family leave provisions. In one editorial, Ruth Marcus notes that 84% of working class families send both parents into the workforce and that over half of working class employees are not permitted to take time off to care for sick children.  In the other, Jody Heymann compares America's woeful family leave policies to those of other developed countries and concludes that "if politicians of either mainstream persuasion in the United States really valued mothers and families on Mother's Day or any other day, they would commit to finally ensuring rights for American mothers and fathers that most parents around the world already enjoy." 

If an expansion of family leave provisions would make life easier for moms like mine, who are willing to work around the clock to provide for their families, but who could use an assurance that they would not be punished by the labor market if an emergency rendered them unable to do so, then they should be wholeheartedly embraced.