Mommy Guit Washington Post Article: The Backstory.

I just want to publicly thank everyone who emailed me regarding the front page story from the March 20th edition of the Washington Post which was titled "Despite 'Mommy Guilt' Time With Kids Increasing; Society's Pressures, Own Expectations Alter Priorities."

Here is the backstory, the Post did this article and it originated with our book and me.

Last fall, after our book and blog had been mentioned serveral times on washingtonPost.com, I contacted the Fairfax County Desk of the Washington Post and the reporter I spoke with expressed an interest in the general topic of "mommy guilt". I offered myself as a resource for future articles given that I live in Fairfax County. The reporter called again and asked to come to my home and talk to me some more.

The reporter met with me at my home for three hours on January 9th to discuss mommy guilt, the impact it has on society and the survey we did for our book. The journalist attended a lecture, at my invitation, that I presented at Oak Hill Elementary School. She was present for the "meet and greet reception" and book signing which immediately preceded my presentation. Almost all, if not all, of the parents she used as sources for the front page article were at that event. So essentially she got access to those people, due to my involvement.

The original story morphed over time, as this was January and it is now March, into a story about the University of Maryland Time Use study. The reporter called me the evening prior to the story running and told me the change.

Did she tell me my contribution ended up being at the end of the article? Yes.

Did I tell her I was disappointed? Yes.

Did I tell her I understood these things happen? Yes.

Did I thank her for including me? Yes.

Did I thank her for calling me? Yes.

Did I congratulate her on having her byline on the front page? Yes.

I understand that stories can change in the editorial process. This was fine.
What was not fine,is the story did not credit me properly nor include the complete title of our book and failed to attribute it's authorship. While my name, part of the book title and the label of author are all utilized in the story, they were not used in the context of what the events actually were and how it all transpired.

Did the reporter tell me during that phone call that my name, the title of the book and author attribution would be included in the article? Yes.

Did she tell me there was a sidebar that would include the research for the article? Yes.

Why did the omission occur? I don't know.

Did I pick up the phone and call the reporter because I was confused about what happened and why? Yes.

Did I complain? No.

Did I voice a legitimate concern that every other professional, with the exception of me, was given an affiliation and mention of their work? Yes.

Was I professional at all times with the reporter? Yes.

Did the reporter scream, insult, ridicule and berate me? Yes.

Did I match her and raise my voice? No.

Am I going to do something about it? Yes.

Will I put update here on the blog? Yes.

Like so many of you expressed in your emails, I am confused and unhappy to have been marginalized and mischaracterized and I expected better of the Washington Post.