Sunday Scribblings "Video Prompt"

G'day,
It is Sunday Scribblings time again. This week we were asked to watch a video and talk about someone who inspires us.
This past few weeks have seen a big upheaval of our leading government party. The Labor party. Our prime minister Kevin Rudd was pushed out of his leading position and the position was taken over by this country's very first woman Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. I have been watching her for a while and thinking how she was a strong and very smart woman.
I am not so much of a political follower but events of late have held my interest more than is usual of me, despite now living in our nation's capital city and just a few kilometers down the road from the lodge, the prime minister's residence, and parliament house. I drive past them every day.
I really felt for our previous Prime Minister and the way the take over was handled, he was devastated and media on the day enjoyed the picnic. I was quite annoyed with his so called colleagues for treating him that way.
My usual comment with politics is "let's sit back and watch what happens now".
So for better or worse Australia has a woman Prime Minister for the first time in it's history. We also have a woman Governor General. Being a woman myself that is something to be proud of in a world where my gender fellows are often down trodden and left behind isn't it.
Anyway.... After watching that video my first thoughts on it were of parenting girls.
It seems that the methods used now days are moving forwards at last.
We are lifting up our girls, giving them strength and courage and confidence to move into a brave new society that is not exclusively run by our menfolk.
We are no longer expected to stay at home and raise the babies and stay quiet while we do it.
In Australia today Mums go outside the home to work rather than struggle to stay home and budget on one wage, assuming they have a partner, There is as well, the prestige of a well paid and significant job as opposed to being a stay at home Mum.
I have worked outside the home for the past 20 years, while my children were growing up. My eldest son was 8 when I went back to work, my second boy was 6 and my daughter was 18 months old. It was not an easy thing to do, but I think it was even harder to not have the money that I bought into the home. And luckily I had the cherished love of my parents to help me care for my children before and after school and during school holidays which is something that is declining for today's working mothers because grandparents are very often still in the workforce or not living close to their grandchildren. I remember a time when new clothes for myself were completely out of the question and every piece of clothing I bought had to be paid off on lay-by when the kids were little. My confidence level was low so I did not try to do further study and step out of the mold I had placed myself in I have therefore always worked in fairly menial types of jobs and still do.
Whether the changes with working mothers is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen I guess. I can see pro's and cons to it. But I hope the way things are headed is a positive thing which results in more confident women who in their working lives are unafraid to step up and do it all. To stand beside their male counterparts and be equal to them in the workforce and at home. Moving forward, onwards and upwards.
Our daughters are watching us and learning from us and doing things that were never dreamed of a few decades ago. GO GIRLS. Do not forget your sons though. Hehehe.
I am quite proud of my daughter's achievements. She is in her last year of a psychology degree. She has earned many credits and distinctions in her exams for her efforts. She is a strong, quirky, individual little character who loves a fight and is not afraid to dump the flotsam and jetsam that comes her way if it is not what she needs. She is a compact little package of things that I have been afraid to be. Cool eh!

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Today I had a job to do. I cleaned a very nice apartment in the city that one of the embassy staff here in Canberra were vacating. I have not been paid for it yet but I will get nearly a whole weeks pay for one days work. It took me all day, I did it all by myself. I don't usually work on the weekends but this one was too good to pass up. So i am tired and my feet and knees are stiff tonight, no matter I will get over it. The man there gave me a new computer chair he didn't want to take with him, plus a royal Albert vase so that was an extra bonus. I was very fussy as I was told that it had to be done to a high quality that's why it took so long, I hope it is good enough.
Tonight when I went over to Sunday Scribblings to see what the prompt for this week was there were only a few people who had their writing entries in.
I clicked on one of my favorite writers to see what he had to say to this prompt and came across my name. Grizz had written about me! Wow, I am so privileged. I don't think anyone has ever thought of me as worthy of that sort of compliment before. Thanks so much Grizz, you bought a tear to my tired old eyes.
Bye for now.
Love Linda.