Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 20:24:02 -0500

From: Peggy Smith dj611[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CLEVELAND.FREENET.EDU

Subject: Re: Soccer-Mom-Soccer-Mother?



Re: -mom vs -mother



I think the term -mom implies youth, modern hip-ness, fast-peced life, and

certainly informality- jeans and t-shirts and baseball caps. It seems to me thathat it first appeared in the 80's with "Supermom" (perhaps a feminist

reaction to superman) the woman who could spend the day as a corporate

lawyer, run the carpool, come home and cook a gourmet meal with a baby slung

on her hip, close a deal on the phone, and then still have great sex later on.



This is NOT the image of -mother, which maybe goes back to the 50's housewife

in shirtwaist and pearls who deferred to father, who knew best. It connotes

much more dignity, formality, stuffiness, a regimented "dinner at 6"

slower pace. Den mother in her silly uniform doing projects by the book,

Earth mother, connected to the elements and the slow-floating spiritual

world, mother hen-stuffy and fussy and prissy.



This is all IMHO. But as I am a sports mom of the 90's, I guess I have the right to help define the genre, no?



Peggy Smith