Jesus' Precious Little Lambs

wenlei

6/21/2012

(4 days ago)

Juggling Motherhood and Work

I thought today’s Fresh Air program might be of some interest to some of the mommies here. In fact, if any of you are interested in getting together and discussing the article, please send me an email, since the issues raised in Slaughter’s article definitely resonated with me. Happy reading & happy summer! -Wenlei

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/21/155498926/the-impossible-juggling-act-motherhood-and-work

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/?single_page=true

           Basically the feminist author of the above articles, and mother of a struggling teen, came to a point in her life where she had to admit that it is really hard to be supermom and supercareer woman–one or the other has got to give. I was so intrigued to hear a feminists changing viewpoint on this monumental struggle of women, that I had to read through her lengthy article. I encourage you to do the same if this topic is of interest to you as well.

             Then I felt compelled to make a stand on the mom’s club forum for how I feel about the sad state of children today with the ever increasing situation of dual income families in our society, and how wonderful it has been personally to decide to be a stay at home mom. My husband and I were not sure we could do it, my husband wasn’t even sure he wanted me to do it back when we were dating, but as we looked around at children we admired, we found that many times they were the product of a stay at home mom pouring her heart and soul into raising them. I became so convinced of the power of being present in my children’s lives that I told myself if I had to, I could even live in poverty in order to remain the largest influence in my children’s lives. But God is so good because He takes the dreams in our hearts that we will not budge from, and makes them a reality. He has provided for us with a home of our own, free used furniture, healthy food to eat, scads of hand me down clothing for our children, paid for vehicles, and the ability to live on one income. Staying home with my children has been the best decision of my life. (More from me on the calling of staying home here)

              I think so many moms feel torn, split in two, by the demands of family and work. My heart is in angst for moms who have budged from the dream in their own heart, or who are finding out that the juggle of work and home is at a higher cost than they are willing to pay, or who believe that daycare and school can raise her children during the day as well as she can. So I formed a bold response to the “Juggling Motherhood and Work” post on the mom’s club forum:

me

6/25/2012

(8 hrs ago)

Sadly, I do think feminists have sold women a fiction. The article itself states, “And although women as a group have made substantial gains in wages, educational attainment, and prestige over the past three decades, the economists Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson have shown that women are less happy today than their predecessors were in 1972, both in absolute terms and relative to men.” Hmmmm…..

As for juggling a career and a family, I think two parents can not both be professionals putting in long hard hours without putting their children at stake. I look at the masses of unhappy young people in our society and have to wonder if we are sacrificing our children for our jobs. I believe everyone’s pursuit of happiness starts at home with family, not at work, and so the juggling act of two income families can be quite an obstacle to the priorities of a true pursuit of happiness.

I agree with the author’s statement, “….the minute I found myself in a job that is typical for the vast majority of working women (and men), working long hours on someone else’s schedule, I could no longer be both the parent and the professional I wanted to be.” I am a happy stay at home mom because I knew I had to make a choice, and I chose my children. I am spending this life on enjoying my children to the fullest because I wholeheartedly believe that one parent needs to be very present at home in order to provide the guidance that both little ones and teens alike need very much. And moms happen to be designed with a God given maternal instinct that powerfully draws us to our children and our home. Its a good fit.

Deciding that I would stay home with our children at almost any cost, has been a wonderful decision for us. I have found deep satisfaction in being the one to shape my precious children into who they will become. Satisfaction that can not be traded for any amount of pay or status.

Anyway, just wanted to share on this great post as I often reflect on the calling of motherhood. Lots more thoughts on motherhood, family, and teaching our children on my blog in hopes of speaking to the hearts of moms. I love to hear from other moms.

https://jesuspreciouslittlelambs.wordpress.com

“Someday, when our children are grown, very few of us will say, “I sure wish I had sold more at my job, or won more awards at work, or opened new accounts for my employer.” But many of us may say, “I wish I had spent more time with my children when they were young.” ~Before Five In A Row

Most gracious Lord, help us to remember, in all the moments of our days, that taking the time to cultivate a close relationship with our children is what will open their hearts for you.