Babylune

Covert Motherhood Activism

by kate baggott on November 21st, 2006

I am not a cloak and dagger kind of girl. Keeping blog and having a secret life don’t mix.

Today, I performed the most blatantly feminist act of my life.

It could even have been revolutionary, if I hadn’t done it so quietly.

This morning, I had a childcare problem.

The problem was that I had no childcare for the baby.

I couldn’t afford to lose the day. It wasn’t just about the money, but my students had an exam scheduled and I had prepared them for it.

So, I smuggled the baby into work. Sure, she was seen, but I didn’t parade her around the language school (well, a little at lunch time, but I introduced her as my lunch visitor and it was break time). Other than that her understated presense was a “don’t ask, don’t tell”  kind of affair.

Now, had it become an issue among my co-workers and employers, I would have made it into a big issue, but nothing happened.

My students wrote fantastic exams. My baby charmed them all and even took a nap on our coats on the classroom floor.

While I am marking under-observed holidays, I might as well create an annual Smuggle Your Baby into Work Day for the third Tuesday in November.

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POSTED IN: Baby Care