I was shocked and appalled this morning to find that the Jackie-O-bashing has now entered the political arena, with NSW Families minister Pru Goward claiming that ‘she endangered her baby’ whilst walking across a road, feeding her last week.

“We all were horrified when Michael Jackson dangled his baby out the window and this woman is crossing the road not just holding a baby but feeding a baby and I think it was unnecessarily cavalier,” Ms Goward told the Daily Telegraph.

Doesn’t anyone else find this analogy completely ridiculous?  The task of parenting is multi-facetted, and new mums quickly adjust to multi-tasking – out of necessity.   Jackie O was not endangering little Kitty, she was fulfilling one of her daughter’s primary needs to be fed!  Surely the minister of families should have a little more of an idea what parenting actually involves.   Sometimes you do have to feed on the run ~ or if you are me, breastfeed in the supermarket aisles whilst shopping.  A screaming baby would much prefer to have its needs met asap , than find a comfy chair somewhere , draw the curtains and listen to some calming music!

I am more inclined to think that speeding in a school zone, Mr Goward, was far more dangerous and unnecessarily cavalier, but I don’t suppose you want to get into that do you?

I can’t help but wonder if the tables were turned and the photograph showed Brad Pitt or some other celebrity hunk, cradling their offspring whilst providing nourishment (and crossing the road) we might all have said “Naaw, how sweet!” and thought nothing more of it.

Considering Mrs Goward is a mother of three, a former sex discrimination commissioner, and career woman I am stunned by her lack of insight and ridiculous remarks.  All of this from a woman who professed in a Talking Heads interview in 2006, to know something of mother guilt after making the decision in her career as a journalist to move to Sydney and leave her young children behind in Canberra.

But, hey, we’re not judging!

As far as I can see Jackie O is juggling the tremendous task of caring for her baby whilst following her career. And bloody good luck to her!  We all have the right to make the choices which we think are best for our families, despite what journalist Annette Sharp might have been touting to the contrary in her open letter to Jackie O last week.

So dry your eyes Jackie, chin up love ~ ‘cos the real mothers of Australia are right behind you, muddling along, and multi-tasking our way through motherhood too.

Does anyone else have anything they would like to add to Mrs  ‘head-up-her-own-arse’ Goward?