tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post1463366600600822439..comments2023-05-16T12:26:09.102+01:00Comments on The Historical House: Fit for PurposeMrs McLeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-9582531281694583182016-07-15T18:26:03.019+01:002016-07-15T18:26:03.019+01:00Toughness can be an innate personality trait, but ...Toughness can be an innate personality trait, but I don't think it's the whole explanation of why some women have or develop it, and others don't. (I am not offering my view as a certainty, but merely as an hypothesis.) Criticism received at work does not appear to have the same toughening effect on most women I know. It could be because workplace criticisms tend to be more veiled, and less personal, than the kind one receives at home, or in politics. <br /><br />Alias ClioAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-46070585616803378002016-07-14T13:35:23.273+01:002016-07-14T13:35:23.273+01:00But older people in general tend to be emotionally...But older people in general tend to be emotionally tougher/more grounded. And I'm not sure why dealing with the criticisms one encounters at one's job, etc. wouldn't have just as toughening an effect as an eleven-year-old yelling that he hates you? I don't think being able to ignore what people say about you is about motherhood so much as it is about personality. Some personalities are more self-confident and care less about what other people say than others do, and most grow better at it as they get older. <br /><br />Actually, out of the people I know, the one I think would make the best political leader is a married-but-childless woman. :)booklovernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-58339246314851589442016-07-13T14:24:47.115+01:002016-07-13T14:24:47.115+01:00Have you read Katie Hopkins piece in the DM today ...Have you read Katie Hopkins piece in the DM today on May? It discusses May's childlessness and I thought it was interesting, ponders her lack of an Achilles Heel. Still will miss Cameron though, I think he was a man of duty, he was on fire at PMQs today.<br /><br />Sinéad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-33001187711938270122016-07-12T11:53:42.690+01:002016-07-12T11:53:42.690+01:00Yes, I know, the offense taken at 'mother-sham...Yes, I know, the offense taken at 'mother-shaming' on the internet is an argument against my hypothesis. I'm going to guess that these are usually younger mothers; also, they may well be mothers without jobs. I see nothing wrong with this myself, but it gets a great deal of criticism from 'working' women and some mothers w/o jobs find it hard to take. So let me modify my original point by adding that the 'tough mothers' I had in mind also have education and work experience. After all, it's unlikely that a successful politician would lack either of these traits. I still maintain that all things being equal, women who have never had children are usually though not invariably more brittle and vulnerable to criticism than women who have.<br /><br />Alias ClioAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-12755822122414945482016-07-12T04:39:52.989+01:002016-07-12T04:39:52.989+01:00If mothers are so tough, why all the "open le...If mothers are so tough, why all the "open letters" complaining about petty slights (dubbed "shaming") all over the Internet?<br /><br />I agree that mothers get toughened to their own children's complaints and criticism, but become very sensitive indeed when it comes to adult critique of their parenting.sciencegirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-14173068248639849552016-07-11T19:20:07.442+01:002016-07-11T19:20:07.442+01:00Women who have had children may make better politi...Women who have had children may make better politicians than those who have not, not because of their greater maternal softness, nor because they have a greater stake in the future, but because of their greater emotional toughness than childless women, particularly in the sense of being able to stand up to severe criticism and shrug it off. <br /><br />If there is a quality I have noted among the childless of my own sex, and I include myself there, it is a dread of dissent, of provoking opposition, and finally of personal criticism, especially from those who are supposed to be on one's own side. Married mothers, especially those with several children, tend to know that even those who love one, and those whom one loves, may be ferocious in their attacks upon one. And they know that sometimes their proper reaction must be, so what? Baby hollers all night in spite of care; you have to learn it isn't personal. Eight-year old son yells 'Mum, that's not fair!' when she makes him do his homework; 'Whatever, kid, you still have to finish your arithmetic problems' says Mum. Worst of all are teenagers hollering 'Mum, I will hate you forever if you don't let me go out with him/her!' who really seem to mean it, at least for a while. If you're a decent parent you learn to stand by your decisions. <br /><br />I know voters are not children; the analogy is not meant to be exact. Still, I think there is some truth to this view, though I admit that it is rather counter-intuitive. <br /><br />Alias ClioAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-29443503533258087392016-07-11T17:05:10.274+01:002016-07-11T17:05:10.274+01:00I thought what Gove did was quite brave and respon...I thought what Gove did was quite brave and responsible, really. On the other hand, all I know about Gove I read in James Delingpole's column (I think it was JD), and he is his friend. I have a soft spot for Gove because on the Rough Bus last weekend a drunk decided Benedict Ambrose was Michael Gove and began to castigate him for betraying Boris. "You should be ashamed of yourself," said the drunk. "I am," said B.A. "That's why I grew this beard."Mrs McLeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095035617334068201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-34084609923717288992016-07-11T12:54:11.811+01:002016-07-11T12:54:11.811+01:00How on earth is it possible to have May shoed in l...How on earth is it possible to have May shoed in like this? I'm really irritated by Leadsom dropping out, a bit late now love. Was she aware that she was playing with the Big Boys when she entered the race? Between Gove's "et tu" betrayal of Boris and now Leadsom dropping out the Brexit MPs look childish and unprofessional. I hope May is strong enough to make Brexit happen and won't call another referendum. Aye, those with children look on the world with different eyes, how can they not. The media pretending otherwise didn't fool me.<br /><br />Sinéad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3524471174570445036.post-65962168379833257512016-07-11T01:11:39.509+01:002016-07-11T01:11:39.509+01:00Theresa May looks great!Theresa May looks great!Rachmad Imam Tarechahttp://rachmadimamtarecha.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com