Betty Ford- an American icon!

Wow! Betty Ford was  an amazing, honest woman!. She was direct, reasonable, a feminist…she was what I call…A REAL PERSON. She believed in being herself and while she had a lovely demeanor, she didn’t shy away from answering questions about any issue.  She publicly spoke on behalf of what she believed, always being a gentle, decent, reasonable woman – very matter of fact.  She was not what the anti-feminists refer to as STRIDENT, though she got her point across. The idea of her 18 year old daughter having sex seemed to her to be normal, like any other young woman. She spoke out in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.  She shared her beliefs  despite the fact that she and her husband, The President, did not always agree on the issues.   She favored abortion rights. She was candid and outspoken and always full of grace and poise. She wasn’t concerned about the possibility of her children using marijuana.  She learned that she had breast cancer shortly after arriving at the White House.  She courageously shared that news with the world, taking away much of the stigma and embarrassment that surrounded the “C” word and the squeamishness that so many felt about even discussing the breast (it was very different era).  Imagine the impact she had on women and their families…by encouraging an open dialogue by her own example! When her family had an intervention to help her to stop taking pain killers (to which she was addicted), again she did what she needed to, didn’t shirk her responsibility to herself and her family and our nation and eventually opened The Betty Ford Center, to help others to manage their addictions.  She helped to change the lives of thousands of people by creating the center.  What a legacy.  She saluted being open…I salute her…she gave us much!

This is MeddlingMom…emulate Betty Ford…she was quite a role model!

Tags: abortion, abortion rights, Addictions, automated mom, Betty Ford, Breast Cancer, ChaosControlCoaching, Eqaul Rights Amendment, ERA, feminist, First Lady, Gerald Ford, Mammograms, mammography, Marijuana use, MeddlingMom, pain killer addiction, premarital sex for teens, Presidency, strident, The Betty Ford Center