kids and families
Julia Gillard has kids after all...
14/07/10 19:44
Julia Gillard has now fulfilled her political destiny, to take the custodianship of the nation from a long line of men.
All of the PM’s before her were dads. Many, most notably Bob Hawke, expressed their regret at the way their careers took them away from their children. The most common reason for retiring from politics seems to be ‘to spend more time with my family’. Well, Julia has around 20 million of us in her care now. How does it feel? More to the point, with the nation being an electoral ‘tinderbox’ this week, it’s worth asking: What kind of mother will Julia turn out to be? Will she be an attachment parent, a helicopter mum, or Australia’s super-nanny? Are we in for some ‘tough love’, now that she’s overseeing the kitchen cabinet?
If Julia turns out to be a follower of the growing number of ‘Attachment parents’ out there, the model will be one of close involvement, frequent reassurance, and a focus on the relationship above all else. Attachment parents co-sleep with their kids, breast-feed for as long as possible, and make themselves unconditionally available to their charges. This ‘community consultation’ approach may turn out to be somewhat labour-intensive for Ms. Gillard, particularly when there are so many sibling rivalries going on at once. Perhaps last week’s problems with asylum-seeker policy showed that being all things to all of your kids is a tough ask for any parent. You simply can’t please everyone all the same time.
Perhaps Julia will be more of a disciplinarian. Kevin Rudd certainly knows what it feels like to be put on the naughty step by his own family. Julia’s magnanimous comment when announcing her cabinet reshuffle was that Kevin would be “most welcome” back to the front bench if Labour wins government at the upcoming election. ‘Until you’re ready to play nice, Kevin, you just need to sit on that bench there and have a think about your behaviour.’ I wonder if this model is more what Magda Szubanski had in mind when she likened Julia to a Catholic School Nun.
Having Julia Gillard as my new mum also casts some of my peers in a different light. Commentators such as Miranda Devine and Andrew Bolt feel even more like older siblings, sniping about mum: “The woman I’ve praised for warmth and directness has started her reign with the same cold deceit with which Dad, er, I mean, Rudd ended his,” Bolt wrote last week. Devine, the next day: “Gillard's speech (about asylum seeker policy) was astonishingly patronizing…” It feels like we’re witnessing some teenage rebellion – ‘I’m going out with Tony tonight, and you can’t stop me!’
This week our parent’s focus will move on to climate change policy. It will be interesting to see who we end up feeling safer with. Perhaps, on a purely psychological level, this election will be about choosing a guardian. Who would you prefer to be adopted by: Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott? Remember, either way, there’s always Uncle Bob Brown at the market garden down the street…
All of the PM’s before her were dads. Many, most notably Bob Hawke, expressed their regret at the way their careers took them away from their children. The most common reason for retiring from politics seems to be ‘to spend more time with my family’. Well, Julia has around 20 million of us in her care now. How does it feel? More to the point, with the nation being an electoral ‘tinderbox’ this week, it’s worth asking: What kind of mother will Julia turn out to be? Will she be an attachment parent, a helicopter mum, or Australia’s super-nanny? Are we in for some ‘tough love’, now that she’s overseeing the kitchen cabinet?
If Julia turns out to be a follower of the growing number of ‘Attachment parents’ out there, the model will be one of close involvement, frequent reassurance, and a focus on the relationship above all else. Attachment parents co-sleep with their kids, breast-feed for as long as possible, and make themselves unconditionally available to their charges. This ‘community consultation’ approach may turn out to be somewhat labour-intensive for Ms. Gillard, particularly when there are so many sibling rivalries going on at once. Perhaps last week’s problems with asylum-seeker policy showed that being all things to all of your kids is a tough ask for any parent. You simply can’t please everyone all the same time.
Perhaps Julia will be more of a disciplinarian. Kevin Rudd certainly knows what it feels like to be put on the naughty step by his own family. Julia’s magnanimous comment when announcing her cabinet reshuffle was that Kevin would be “most welcome” back to the front bench if Labour wins government at the upcoming election. ‘Until you’re ready to play nice, Kevin, you just need to sit on that bench there and have a think about your behaviour.’ I wonder if this model is more what Magda Szubanski had in mind when she likened Julia to a Catholic School Nun.
Having Julia Gillard as my new mum also casts some of my peers in a different light. Commentators such as Miranda Devine and Andrew Bolt feel even more like older siblings, sniping about mum: “The woman I’ve praised for warmth and directness has started her reign with the same cold deceit with which Dad, er, I mean, Rudd ended his,” Bolt wrote last week. Devine, the next day: “Gillard's speech (about asylum seeker policy) was astonishingly patronizing…” It feels like we’re witnessing some teenage rebellion – ‘I’m going out with Tony tonight, and you can’t stop me!’
This week our parent’s focus will move on to climate change policy. It will be interesting to see who we end up feeling safer with. Perhaps, on a purely psychological level, this election will be about choosing a guardian. Who would you prefer to be adopted by: Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott? Remember, either way, there’s always Uncle Bob Brown at the market garden down the street…
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