Parenting: Being a Stay-At-Home Mother
In defense of stay-at-home mothers. While my children were growing up, I was a stay-at-home mother. Often times, people would ask me what I did for work. When I said that I didn’t work outside of the home it seems the conversation had immediately lost interest and was dropped. It was as if I suddenly became a “lesser” person just because I didn’t have a “job” or bring home a paycheque. But to me, doing without some luxuries and that extra cheque, was far less important than the “job” I was doing….looking after my children!
WEIGHING OUT THE PROS AND CONS of stay-at-home parenting.
If you’re only working so that you can afford all those little “extras” in life, I definitely think that stay-at-home parenting is the best option. Yes, some mothers do have to work due to extenuating circumstances in their lives. When a mother is single and working just to pay for rent/mortgage on her own, or if married and her husband is working a lower paying job, then it is probably a necessity for her to work.
However, it’s a fact that there are so many instances of mothers working only so they can have that extra SUV in the driveway, or the 3,000 square foot luxury home, the yearly expensive holidays, trips to the spa, and/or all the trappings of a modern, stylish life. I would add here, that it would be at the expense of their children. Yes, I am probably sounding harsh to those very mothers, but is it that important to have so much material wealth, taking valuable time away from your children, leaving their upbringing to the care of strangers or day care centers? If a young toddler were able to have their say, I am certain that they would vote to have their mothers at home with them, and probably settle for less toys and fancy, brand name clothes. These things hold no value or desire to a child!
There was a time in history when the parents had to work to literally put a meal on the table. Fortunately, in this day and age, North Americans are doing quite well, that there is usually a little money left over for the finer things in life. It depends on how many of these finer things you think you need to have. Priorities need to be put into perspective.
LIVING WITH LESS…