By Sarah Mahoney

Politicians and pundits may call 2012 the year of the woman, but it's really the year of the mom. Mothers aren't settling for catchy bumper stickers or vague promises in this presidential election. How do we know? With the help of an all-star moderator, Soledad O'Brien, anchor of CNN's Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien, Parents recently hosted a luncheon roundtable with 21 moms from across the political spectrum. We admit we were a little nervous when we saw a Barack Obama supporter sitting between a Mitt Romney backer and a Ron Paul fan, a social conservative next to a gay mom, and an environmentalist hoping the government will do more across from a pregnant mom of four who wants it to do less.

RELATED: Moms Sound Off on Economic Issues

We heard dramatically different opinions about solutions, but there was a remarkable consensus about the problems facing families right now. Together, the women helped us hammer out a bipartisan mandate for the candidate who

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Ann Romney. Janna Ryan. In the last couple of days, we've heard the hopeful first ladies of the GOP give Republican National Convention speeches in support of their men. Ann's was rousing and widely lauded, even by those who don't support Mitt Romney. She humanized Mitt (a tough order) by calling him "this boy I met at a high-school dance" who "made me laugh," and went on to pander for the female vote by talking about voting moms and couples who can't afford more children (also tough, since she grew up so friggin' privileged). Janna, on the other hand, got a case of the nerves, causing some bloggers to want to give her a hug. Poor sweetheart! You should be nervous, you're married to an incurable liar and Ayn Rand-lover.

But they both, blonde* and slender, stood by their men just as they were expected to, continuing that proud tradition of smiling, slightly plastic GOP wives. Which brings us to an interesting question ... Do these women actually believe everything they're so eagerly s

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I grew up with a portrait of "Ronnie," as my parents referred to him, smiling down upon me. I still have flashbacks.

I don't know how I'm going to survive the election, I really don't. Like most people, I have very strong feelings about the candidates and the strong feelings render me incapable of saying nearly anything nice about the GOP. Except "nice ties!" but that's only when I'm feeling charitable and am in polite company. Generally I focus on their complete disdain for women and the middle class and the nonstop lies that pour out of the campaign. The lie about Obama causing the recession is my particular favorite.

I wonder about the effect it's having on my kids.

Related: Should we share our political views with our kids?

My son is 11 and couldn't care less about politics. Unless and until Barack Obama and Mitt Romney pick up a baseball (oh, and they will, give it time) they are not on his radar. But my 14-year-old is different. She reads the Ne

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The Preventing and Responding to VIolence Against Women and Girls Globally executive order is a major step toward a better future for girls across the globe.
-Diana Denza, BettyConfidential.com

Back in January, the media flocked to cover the painful story of Sahar Gul, an Afghan child bride who was held captive in a basement bathroom and tortured for six months. Though her life took a turn for the better once her abusive in-laws and husband were jailed, millions of girls and women around the world will never see the same justice.

Over 60 million girls under 18-many of whom live in South Asia-are currently child brides, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Perhaps even more shockingly, anywhere from 100 to 140 million girls around the world have been forced to undergo genital mutilation.

And though women in the United States fare far better, millions of us have been affected by horrific acts of violence. The Center for Di

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As she prepares to speak tonight at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, First Lady Michelle Obama says that her goals for the 2012 election campaign are much the same as they were in 2008.

"Four years ago, millions of people across this country came together and elected the leader they knew would stand up for them in office," she told Yahoo! Shine in an interview hours before her speech. "I want people to know that Barack is still that leader. He is still driven by the core values and principles that made him want to do the incredibly tough job in the first place."

WATCH: First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden talk to Yahoo! Shine about military families

Since becoming the first lady, Mrs. Obama has honed her speaking skills and sharpened her focus. Though people still criticize her for comments made in the last election cycle (particularly the one about finally feeling proud of her country), she has largely avoided controversy, focused on family is

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