Two Cents
Leslie Morgan Steiner is the editor of the best-selling anthology Mommy Wars and the brand new memoir Crazy Love. Steiner is a frequent guest on the Today Show, MSNBC, and regularly contributes to The New York Times, Newsweek and Vanity Fair. She lives with her husband and 3 kids in Washington, DC.  In this column, she will offer her Two Cents on issues relating to modern motherhood. 

Quitting is Not Fitting.

Would your husband quit his job if you earned more? Would you if he did? more

Father Envy.

Father’s Day afternoon. My family and I were heading home after a weekend away. Our plane was packed. We were last in line to board. Right in front of us was a middle-aged dad, wearing khaki shorts and a golf shirt, holding a six-month-old baby. Stroller, diaper bag, carry-on bag, bottle, pacifier…All of us who’ve ever traveled with babies surely remember how much heavy, awkward, leaky junk you need to fly with an infant. more

Soccer Field Statistics.

In their fabulous new book Womenomics, BBC News anchor Katty Kay and Good Morning America correspondent Claire Shipman, make many elegant estrogen-fueled observations about juggling work and family. more

Paying for Our Rape Kits.

The landmark Violence Against Women Act, which provided $1.6 billion in funding to strengthen investigation, awareness and prosecution of violent crimes perpetrated against women, is up for reauthorization in Congress next year. more

Smothering Mothering.

I loved last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine commentary by Mommy Trackd/Flexperience 2008 keynote Lisa Belkin, “Let the Kid Be.” Belkin hopefully forecasts the demise of helicopter parenting and smothering mothering, citing a wave of new books... more

She-Bullies.

Do women bully differently than men? Recalling the jungle of 7th grade girldom, I have to say YES. I remember the time two girls stuck deodorant, mouthwash and a nasty anonymous note in an awkward girl’s locker. Someone suggested a late-blooming girl (okay, me) use the boy’s bathroom. more

Moms on Trial.

One of the tricks about American motherhood is learning to block out the pervasive, contradictory media messages beamed to us via newspapers, magazines, advertisements and television programs. From the time we are toddlers we hear that becoming a mother is “the most important thing a woman ever does in her life.” But moms are the first to be attacked when we step outside cultural norms or when misfortune strikes our children. more

Managing Your Husband.

During my first job after business school, let’s say I had a little, um, trouble with my boss, a woman who openly despised me. My boss’ boss did me a great favor by slipping me the Harvard Business Review classic, Managing Your Boss. Almost 20 years later, I still refer to my dog-eared copy for insight and counsel. more

Motivations Behind Resilience.

Political wife Elizabeth Edwards’ new memoir, Resilience, became a best-seller before it was officially published last Friday. Conveniently launched in time for a Mother’s Day blitz, the book hit the media jackpot with appearances on Oprah, NPR’s All Things Considered, The Today Show and People Magazine. more

Mom's Business Trips.

Like much of the division of labor in our household, my relinquishment of business trips was gradual, messy, and undiscussed. In retrospect the trend seems logical. But the real story: going from zero to three kids in five years while juggling kids and career obliterated any rational choice, for both my husband and myself. more

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