So true, Katherine! Those smaller voting opportunities are often so important, like voting for your local school boards, for example. A slight shift in the majority views of a school board can make a huge difference to what kids get taught.

That is so nice! I'm awaiting the day the US Congress drafts a bill to "protect" American witches......and waiting...and waiting....

Not so sure I believe in genetic cultural or psychological memory, though, Bjorn. A family in Iowa adopts a baby girl from Japan, and she won't necessarily grow up to be good at math, love sushi, be thin and trim and have respect for her parents. I think we all are a pretty clean slate when we are born. And as for mothering, I'm pretty sure that is not an instinct, either, as we can clearly see from many many bad examples of mothers!

What is involved in "mothering" today is completely different than a thousand (or a hundred?) years ago, anyway. If only it were as easy as just giving birth! It's the 18 (28? 48?) years of follow-up that makes it such a burden. Even the Great Mother has only to generate life and let it go, no car-pooling, play-dates, parent teacher conferences, band lessons, drugs/alcohol, college tuition, wedding financing, and grandchild care-giving for Her!

If we are still a society that wants to have children at all (ie, survive) then the best mother's day gift we could give to those who choose that role would be to pay them a fair wage.

Bjorn, a lovely picture of prehistoric days, but we have evolved since then, eh? Few among us can "hunt for the tribe", "weave a cloak for your man" or "impregnate an entire village"..... well, maybe that. My point being, we have all evolved into a new balance, wouldn't you say, and isn't it time to rethink "roles" altogether?