Originally published in GRAND Magazine Issue 17 July-August 2007 pp 42-47
Becoming a grandparent fulfilled an important goal for Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi’s entry into politics seems preordained. She comes from a family where public service is a tradition and a privileged calling. Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., served as mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III, also served as mayor of Baltimore. Pelosi graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C., in 1962, but her entry into politics would not come until after she married San Francisco native Paul Pelosi, relocated there and raised their five children: Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul and Alexandra. Paul and Nancy had those five children in six years.
Pelosi counts herself fortunate that her husband was a true parenting partner who was
equally focused on raising their children together. Prior to her election to Congress, Pelosi served in a number of positions, including chair of the California Democratic Party. She has represented California’s Eighth istrict, which includes most of San Francisco, since 1987. On January 4, 2007, Nancy Pelosi made history, breaking the marble ceiling to become the first woman to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Still, Pelosi once told 60 Minutes, “It’s great. It’s fabulous. It was my goal in life and now I’ve achieved it.” Was she talking about becoming Speaker? No, she was talking about becoming a grandmother. Friends say if you ask her to describe herself, the first thing she’ll say is that she’s the mother of five and grandmother of six.
Being a grandparent is all I hoped it would be. It is great. My husband always says that he’d like to time my speeches to see how long it takes for me to mention my grandchildren. He knows it is going to be there. It is just a question of how soon. My grandchildren live in Texas, Arizona and New York, which is wonderful for them, but a little far for us. I have six grandchildren: Alexander Prowda, 10, and Madeleine Prowda, 8, who live in Arizona; Liam Kenneally, 9, Sean Kenneally, 7, and Ryan Kenneally, 5, who live in Texas; and Paul Michael Vos, the new baby, 5 months old, who lives in New York. My husband and I prayed for grandchildren; we not only prayed, we begged. But we forgot to pray that they live in California near their “Mimi” and “Pop,” which is what they call us.
