Mayor Bowser, ‘Just’ Being a Mom
By February 8, 2021 0 2513
•After watching D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser over the past year at multiple weekly press events, deftly handling the biggest breaking news of our country — protests and riots, the presidential departure and inauguration, the on-again-off-again reopening of D.C. public schools and the distribution of limited supplies of coveted coronavirus vaccines — it was a delight to see her at Chef Geoff’s on New Mexico Avenue NW on the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 6, “just” being a mom.
The “just” is in quotation marks because, right now, Bowser’s truly adorable daughter Miranda is two years old — and every parent knows what that means.
“She’s a handful,” the mayor told this reporter, with laughing eyes above her mask. They were celebrating the birthday of Miranda’s best friend. But like every two-year-old, the lively little girl spent much of the time jumping off her chair and darting around the tables and garden wall, with the mayor calmly in pursuit, repeatedly placing her daughter back on her chair.
In between the chases, Bowser graciously answered questions about the District’s vaccine distribution; the Georgetown and New Mexico Avenue zip codes, among others, were left off the priority list. “We’re doing the best we can to get vaccines to the most vulnerable areas first,” she said. “I know it’s frustrating, but it will all be resolved in time.”
Same with mothering. A short time later, her little one took off toward the exit stairs (where, it appeared, the mayor’s discreet security personnel stood). Bowser grabbed a very small, very pink backpack and her purse, waved goodbye to the birthday friends and took off. Being a mom first: “No photos, please.”