OMG I've become Daily Mail Mum

So the big political news for mums this week is the child benefit cuts. They're not going to be introduced until 2013, and I may well be back at work by then, but if I'm not J and I are going to be one of those families hit pretty hard by this, in fact, one of those families the Daily Mail are getting all hot under the collar in defense of. I'm stunned, how did I end up being on the same side as the Mail? I think part of the problem is that somehow being a stay at home mother (the DM obviously doesn't consider families with stay at home dads....) is equated with 'small c' conservatism, 1950s values, housewifery etc. I would consider myself a staunch feminist and find it endlessly frustrating that the assumption is made that stay at home mums hold 'traditional' values. Surely in fact being a feminist should elevate the role of child-rearing as an important, intelligent role (alongside working if that's the choice / necessity). In fact, is stay at home motherhood only seen as anti-feminist because a traditionally male-orientated society branded the role as inconsequential? Your thoughts, ladies, would be appreciated.