my latest column….

When Mother’s Day approaches, it’s easy to think of presents in terms of flowers, candy and bubble bath. But as it turns out, a lot of moms would much rather have the gift of quality health care, a strong dollar and a cleaner planet. In honor of the upcoming election I spoke to a group of moms to find out which issues they’re most concerned about, and these three concerns came up again and again:

Health care

In many parts of the country, health insurance for a typical family of four can cost more than a house payment. And while there are free and reduced-cost health care options for low-income families, spending a grand or more on insurance can easily over-extend even a middle-class budget. And a medical emergency can quickly add up to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for a family already just getting by.

Sure, we’ve all heard the old argument that “no one is entitled to anything.” But it just makes good economic sense to have a healthy population. You can’t exactly rule the free world with a bunch of sickly citizens at the helm … and boy oh boy, is that what we’ve got now. In fact, according to a 2005 report in the New England Journal of Medicine, today’s generation of kids is likely to have a SHORTER life expectancy than their parents - the first time that’s happened in more than 200 years.

Of course, you can blame some of that on sedentary lifestyles and junky diets. We need a strong, affordable and accessible health care system to deal with illnesses and emergencies as they come up, but we could also help matters by not treating our bodies - and our kids’ bodies - like trash cans. Just sayin’.

The economy

Get out the violins, ya’ll: according to analysts, we’re headed for - or are possibly already in - a recession. No big surprise there - after a decade or so of Americans racking up debt as though we believed the credit card/mortgage fairies would one day come and haul it away in a poof of glitter, reality was bound to catch up with us.

It’s natural for parents to want the American dream for their kids, but I’m thinking about things a little differently these days. Could it be that our generation of parents has the “American Dream” all wrong, and if so, do we really want our children to have even more of THIS?

It could be that obtaining as much square footage as humanly possible, driving cars that are as expensive as small houses, and owning every knickknack and toy known to man is perhaps not the key to happiness and a “good life” after all.

While I don’t relish the idea of a recession, I think some hard economic times could teach our kids - and us - a valuable lesson that we might otherwise never have to learn. These include how to save for a rainy day, how to be resourceful, how to get by on less, and why, in the end, the size of your house, the value of your car and whether you own the newest gadget don’t matter much at all.

The environment

We might disagree on the best way to get there, but every parent I know is concerned about the state of the planet. Whether it’s dependence on air-clogging fossil fuels, over-consumption, over-full landfills or water quality, no matter what your political leanings there’s an environmental issue that’s probably got you concerned.

We need government that’s ready to tackle these issues at all levels. For example, some cities and villages don’t even have effective recycling programs in place yet. Come on, people, it’s 2008!

On the other hand, we as parents also have to be willing to make some changes in the way we live. Maybe we drive less and walk or bike more; maybe we make a conscious decision to look locally for services and shopping so we use less gas (hint: Shopping locally is also good for your community and local economy). Maybe we do a better job modeling recycling in our own homes. Maybe we just cut down on buying so much crap. Our kids are watching and learning by example.

Of course, we need a strong government to help us make sweeping, nation-wide changes. But they can’t do a good job without our willing participation. As it turns out, the best Mother’s Day gift of all - a clean, healthy and prosperous world for our kids - might be something we parents have to give ourselves.