Once I knew what free time was. I'm somewhat ashamed to say it was while I was working a desk job. I had eight hours a day to do my work, and I did my work plus extra and also kept up with several blogs and online magazines. I remembered sitting at my desk, wishing I could somehow use that extra time to work on housework and other things that needed to get done.
Well, I got my wish when I went back to school and stayed home the rest of the time to be a full-time parent to Silas. Some days, I do wish I had a few hours to devote to random reading, but most days, this is the perfect job for me. I am so lucky that it is working out, though it does often frustrate me to think how society has come to expect a dual-income family. Don't get me wrong. I am glad that when I get my nursing degree, it won't be scandalous when I work outside the house on occasion. But I am very, very sad when I think of all the moms I know who wish that they could raise their children and must work instead. (I feel like this should be obvious, but if it's not - I'm not saying all women should want to stay at home to raise children. We are all different people with different wants and goals.)
In other words, I'm glad women aren't treated like property anymore, but it sucks that it comes at the expense of tossing aside those women who would still like to be a stay at home mom as their career.
I'm very happy to have grown up in a household that had a parent who stayed at home. Although my dad worked at home, I think it helped a lot to have a dad who was there when we got home from school. I'm grateful for that.
ReplyDeleteI think it's difficult for people to find money for one parent to stay at home. However, if that jump to a single income is possible, I encourage people to do so. The work that you do at home is just as important (if not more) than the work you could be doing outside the home, at a desk. Silas will appreciate that when he's all grown up.