Talk about putting your foot in your mouth!
First lady Michelle Obama pulled a Joe Biden-style gaffe in a TV interview yesterday with Burlington, Vermont, CBS affiliate WCAX. The usually perfectly-poised first lady was discussing nutrition and families when she accidentally said, “Believe me, as a busy single mother—or, I shouldn’t say single! As a busy mother… sometimes, you know, when you’ve got a husband who’s president, it can feel a little single, but he’s there!”
Michelle quickly attempted to explain herself, “But as a busy working mom, and before coming to the White House, I was in that position as well, working, driving the kids to practice, not having enough time to shop or cook, not having the energy… you know the resources weren’t the issue, but time and energy is key…”
Check out the video below:
We can just see the haters jumping on Michelle for this one!
Kristin Chase, a columnist at Cafe Mom, told Yahoo! that feeling like a single mom is a common sentiment among women whose husbands travel and/or work a lot. “I can see how she feels that way,” she said, of Michelle accidentally calling herself a single mom. “It’s about the responsibility of being the sole parent and the sole household manager while they’re away. It’s a way for us to separate ourselves from the regular married folks who have the typical married situation, not to align ourselves with single parents, who have a myriad of challenges that we don’t.”
Kristin said the feeling is common among spouses whose partners are in the military and likens it to being a “chef’s widow” or a “football widow” – someone whose job takes him or her away from his or her family for a great length of time.
It sounds to us like being a “President’s widow” might be the title that takes the cake as far as job pressure and the amount of time it takes you away from your family – but we have to imagine that having the entire White House staff at your disposal could soften the blow a bit!
