Mika's Do-Over
Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough (right) and MSNBC’s senior political analyst Lawrence O’Donnell (left)
Peter Ross
Maybe it was growing up around pol-itics or maybe it was having spent years covering them that caused Brzezinski to spin her story to her children.
“Mommy has good news,” she told her daughters, “Mommy is going to leave CBS. I’m going to have more time with you!”
“No, no, no. You can’t do that,” Emilie, then 11, said. “That’s the only reason the library lady likes me!”
The next day, her younger daughter’s school called saying eight-year-old Carlie was lying on the floor in the fetal position.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Brzezinski whispered when she got there. “I’m here for you.”
“That’s actually the problem,” a teacher said. “Your daughter told me you’re leaving your job, and she’s very upset.”
“Mommy, you love [work] so much,” Carlie said. “I don’t want you to have to leave your job.”
There are probably a dozen ways to analyze these mother-daughter scenes. The way Brzezinski interprets them is, “Kids can see that their mother is more than mom or wife, that she has things that define and make her happy and bring her joy, and they want her to be able to have those things.”
Brzezinski, who has been an avid runner all her life, tried to get back in stride. She had her agent set up high-level interviews. But one after the other, executives would sit Brzezinski down and ask, “So what really happened?” Brzezinski had no dastardly tale. “In the news business, having no story . . . well, what use are you?” she says.
“I had this one interview with Jon Klein, president of CNN News,” Brzezinski says. “I kept imagining on my forehead, in bright red letters, FIRED. And under that in parentheses, LOSER. And under that in double parentheses: BTW: DON’T HIRE HER.” As she was talking to him, “I just sort of petered out.”
She knew she could either fall into a pit of depression or dive into what she did have—a ton of time to bestow on those she loved. She dove. Her family became her project and distraction. “My daughter Emilie had an issue with her vision,” Brzezinski says. “My husband’s mother was diagnosed with ovarian and stomach cancer. [Caring for family] helped me feel alive.”
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I just don't see the "good role model" in the story. The story I read was one about a woman who admittedly puts her family on the "back burner" to advance her career. I quote, "There were times when her kids were on the back burner." Another quote, "Kids can see that their mother is more than a mom or wife, that she has things that make her happy and bring her joy, and they want her to be able to have those things." I assume the "thing" she is talking about is her job. My favorite quote in the story is this, "If I were trying to do it the way I used to, without enough support (i.e. nannies), I couldn't either. I'd rather spend one good hour with my kids a day than eight bad ones. It's called restraint, transferring power and control, and admitting what I am not good at doing." She's admitting she doesn't think she's good at raising her kids. Thank you, Mika. I have been waiting for working moms to admit that...it's really hard to do both, have a high-powered job and be a mom.
Okay, maybe i went overboard and talking about her being a "super-mom" but i wasnt saying that she was the super-hero in essence, but that she's a super mom in not letting her past judgements bring her down or even make her weaker. She was better for her family to step back and re-organize her priorties and despite CBS canning her, she's found stronger footing @ MSNBC.
Mika's successful career, her many accomplishments, and the journey that she took to reach her current position is an inspiring story and this is what makes her a good role model for all young women and especially for her daughters. Mika is very honest in sharing her story and unfortunately this opens her life up to much judgment. Few people are this honest with themselves, much less with outsiders, As women we need to support each other rather than pass judgment.
I read this story with a much different perspective. Mika is not telling us that she is a great parent. Quite the opposite, she is admitting her failures as a working mom is admitting she can't do it all. I think it's a pretty "ballsy" article and I thank her for her candor. She definitely is not a "mother" role model so I am not sure what Rhonda is saying when she uses that term. She's not a super mom either. She admits in the article that she doesn't do much mothering at all. She did not want to even divulge how much outside help she has with her children. So thank you Mika for being honest with us.
totally agree, Rhonda. Mika's story has that affect on you and she's the kind of person to tell it like it is and not mince words, especially when it came to getting fired from CBS. I enjoy her and although she feels differently about soda consumption in the US (a morning joe topic), i still enjoy her. ann
