Hockey Mom

They say being a hockey mom is an attitude. It's the understanding that you'll go the extra mile for your kids. You'll drive them to the frozen pond at 4am and watch them skate while you're huddled in your car drinking coffee, the only thing keeping you from hypothermia. You'll watch them play on team while they give and take vicious hits. You'll see teeth get knocked out and you'll bang on the glass and shout when you witness and injustice on the ice. As Palin said, you're a pit bull with lipstick.



This attitude is shared with many moms I know. Moms who aren't hockey moms but are nonetheless there for their kids at any capacity. As women we know we can, and do, anything. We bring home the bacon, fry it up and serve it to our families. We raise our kids, sometimes alone, while keeping the household in shape and earning the lion's share of income. We work hard for our educations and teach our kids everything we know, hoping they'll learn from our mistakes.


Palin received a lot of criticism for characterizing herself as a Hockey Mom. I won't rehash it here. Unfortunately, some saw it as derogatory or denigrating to public office. I see it as a badge of honor. Politics is a male-dominated field and it's refreshing to see a woman, a mom, who has taken her lumps and knows about the "real world" of raising kids and who's also in public office. As anyone will tell you, moms can see anything in a given day and have to deal with whatever it is with little time and fewer resources. That is a wonderful talent to have while in public office. If only our President could do so much.


Unfortunately, I missed the live telecast of Palin dropping the puck at the Flyers' home opening game. It's a shame, because the Flyers are my husband's favorite team and we watch every game on the NHL Center Ice package. We went to the museum that day and ended up staying a lot later than we planned, so we missed the first period. When I watched the Youtube clip I noticed the NY Ranger on the left seemed to go out of his way to shake her hand and I noticed his huge smile. I asked my husband who #19 was and he said Scottie Gomez. Ah, yes. I know Gomez, but had never seen him without his helmet so I didn't recognize his face. He's from Alaska. Maybe he knew about Palin and possibly supports her. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. After all, he has a hockey mom, too.