Quote:
Originally Posted by buggyone
This is all good stuff and makes sense. However, most here are talking of a family unit where there is a mother and father. Father works and mother stays home preparing meals and cleaning house.
Would you want your daughter to be one of those housewifes who stay home or be a vibrant part of the workforce equal to that of any man? Choices are made according to each person.
How many of us in the Boomer generation (born around 1945-1955) had a mother who worked as an attorney, CEO, or a profession that required her to be equal to any man? If mothers worked, it was a store clerk, secretary, nurse, or teacher.
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It is complicated nowadays. We have educated our daughters and our sons to the max.
However, even the highly educated women who had careers before "baby" arrived on scene..........often choose to be stay at home moms and raise the children to school age, at least. Raising a family is a JOB.
I was a "latch key kid" of the 1950's and always envied my friends who had stay at home moms. Luckily, our circumstances after marriage permitted me to be that stay at home mom........forever. I later ran an at home business, plus helped hubby with any secretarial duties in his business.........all from home.
Our home was always open to all of our childrens' friends from the early years and right through college.......
Our daughter taught in Boston after her marriage and then taught at a community college in Vermont prior to having her first child......but then, until most recently, she chose to be a "stay at home mom" for at least a decade.........now has returned to the workforce, teaching.
Our daughter in law ran a successful business, but also has chosen to be a "stay at home mom".....and her babies are amazing.
All of these are super bright kids , having parental love and guidance from BOTH parents.
Sometimes the women just put their "careers" on hold, all the time knowing that nurturing children is the highest calling.
My mom, especially after she retired, and would travel up to be with us (before moving up here in their retirement) would say how happy she was that I didn't have to "go out to work"..........I felt the same way.
A household can become chaotic with both parents out working and the kids left unsupervised...........however, I realize that many do have to work nowadays and it's a fact of life and the "new normal".
Our kids both wrote us letters when they were in college "thanking us for the way we raised them" after they saw all the broken homes of other friends..........and even at his wedding, our son wrote us yet another thank you note, echoing the same thing.......that everything he had achieved in life (which is a lot) was due to us in his formative years.
Anyway, now that my daughter has returned to "work" it is difficult as the kids have so many many activities...........it's hard to be a Mom and juggle everything.
I know a lot of young parents who are "juggling" and yet I know others who chose to manage with less money and be there 24/7 for the little ones. Either way is just a "choice" nowadays.
When we were "latch key kids" in the 1950's we had to "stay indoors" until our parents came home from work........there was no DAY CARE.
Grandma couldn't always walk over to watch us. Not everyone had cars.
It was NOT FUN to be home alone when everyone else was out playing during days off from school.........so we'd sneak out. Luckily, we did not get into trouble...........but I can see both sides of the issue ...............as always. Can't help it. Life isn't just one way or the other. There are various nuances.