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There was an article in a magazine called The Week (p 16 Vol. 5 issue 197 3/4/05) entitled “Parenting: Are Modern Moms Miserable?” Apparently career women and men who are having children are finding out that Parenthood is just too hard. Kids cry too much and sleep too little. They demand too much of your time. There is a new term for it “overparenting” to go along with “overworking.” There is a book out called Perfect Madness by Judith Warner which champions this new cry of despair. She declares in her book that Motherhood has becomes an awful burden instead of a joy. To them I say get over it. You are now responsible for another human being so stop being selfish and go parent. It is another fine example of the “me” culture that still exists.
According to Anne Quindlen of Newsweek we shouldn’t blame the mothers.
“Moms who work out of the home must prove they are super parents and able to do it all. Stay-at-home moms, on the other hand, must prove that their loss of income and prestige is worth it, so they turn motherhood into an all-encompassing job.” I have seen many a mother do this. They have their 2 year old in playgroups, gym classes, music classes, and lord knows what else. I know one mother who has a day planner filled with all the things her twins are suppose to do. Personally I take Caroline to a playgroup once a week so she can interact with the other children. Other than that, her week is unscheduled and unstructured so she do what she wants to do with in reason.
It is interesting that originally the opening to The Incredibles was suppose to be Bob and Helen with Violet as a baby meeting their new neighbors at a local cookout at one of the houses. They are introduced to the neighbors including one woman who was a commodities broker. She is happy to babble to Helen until she finds out that Helen defines herself as a homemaker and mommy. Then she runs off to gossip with her friends about how she would never do that. Helen finds herself gravitating to a group of women who all have young children and babies but over hears the remarks of the broker. She then goes over the group and reads the broker the riot act about how there are people who go out and put their lives on the live every day for the betterment of society and among those included mothers. The broker asked what Helen did before she became a “home maker”. Helen hesitates because she can’t say that she was Elasta Girl but at that point someone screams and the movie moves on. This came out of the experience of Brad Bird’s wife, who is a film editor that gave up her career to raise her kids and the reactions of other people when they told them.
I am a stay at home mom right now. I have been looking for work during this time but haven’t found any yet other than some freelance work, which seems to be all (a lot of projects at once) or nothing. I will continue to look for a job that fits my qualifications and I would find fun but I plan to revel more in my motherhood. I am there for my daughter when she gets up in the morning with her smiling face and joyous noises. I am there when she needs a hug or reassurance that everything is OK. I am there when she goes to bed at night. I take her up while she rests her head on my shoulder and when I place her in her bed she says to me “Night, night Mommy” and pulls her blanket up to her chin. I am there when she is sick and she just wants to sit in my lap and have me hold her. I am there for all her discoveries about the world and how it works. I am there for the laughter and the tears. I am there for the hugs and kisses. I am there for the strange games of Caroline Ball we play. She knows the rules very well but hasn’t told us what they are sort of like Calvin Ball.
I have many skills and abilities. I can build puppets and masks. I can edit a book in short periods of time. I can build costumes. I am a wiz at Marketing but not quite my cuppa for an every day job. I have a really good eye for trends among the young.
Right now the title I am proudest of is Mama. Yes it can be tiring and sometimes you yearn for a little more sleep but it is worth it. It is the toughest job you will ever love but the rewards are greater than anything I have ever done.
I am grateful that I am a Stay-at-Home Mommy.
According to Anne Quindlen of Newsweek we shouldn’t blame the mothers.
“Moms who work out of the home must prove they are super parents and able to do it all. Stay-at-home moms, on the other hand, must prove that their loss of income and prestige is worth it, so they turn motherhood into an all-encompassing job.” I have seen many a mother do this. They have their 2 year old in playgroups, gym classes, music classes, and lord knows what else. I know one mother who has a day planner filled with all the things her twins are suppose to do. Personally I take Caroline to a playgroup once a week so she can interact with the other children. Other than that, her week is unscheduled and unstructured so she do what she wants to do with in reason.
It is interesting that originally the opening to The Incredibles was suppose to be Bob and Helen with Violet as a baby meeting their new neighbors at a local cookout at one of the houses. They are introduced to the neighbors including one woman who was a commodities broker. She is happy to babble to Helen until she finds out that Helen defines herself as a homemaker and mommy. Then she runs off to gossip with her friends about how she would never do that. Helen finds herself gravitating to a group of women who all have young children and babies but over hears the remarks of the broker. She then goes over the group and reads the broker the riot act about how there are people who go out and put their lives on the live every day for the betterment of society and among those included mothers. The broker asked what Helen did before she became a “home maker”. Helen hesitates because she can’t say that she was Elasta Girl but at that point someone screams and the movie moves on. This came out of the experience of Brad Bird’s wife, who is a film editor that gave up her career to raise her kids and the reactions of other people when they told them.
I am a stay at home mom right now. I have been looking for work during this time but haven’t found any yet other than some freelance work, which seems to be all (a lot of projects at once) or nothing. I will continue to look for a job that fits my qualifications and I would find fun but I plan to revel more in my motherhood. I am there for my daughter when she gets up in the morning with her smiling face and joyous noises. I am there when she needs a hug or reassurance that everything is OK. I am there when she goes to bed at night. I take her up while she rests her head on my shoulder and when I place her in her bed she says to me “Night, night Mommy” and pulls her blanket up to her chin. I am there when she is sick and she just wants to sit in my lap and have me hold her. I am there for all her discoveries about the world and how it works. I am there for the laughter and the tears. I am there for the hugs and kisses. I am there for the strange games of Caroline Ball we play. She knows the rules very well but hasn’t told us what they are sort of like Calvin Ball.
I have many skills and abilities. I can build puppets and masks. I can edit a book in short periods of time. I can build costumes. I am a wiz at Marketing but not quite my cuppa for an every day job. I have a really good eye for trends among the young.
Right now the title I am proudest of is Mama. Yes it can be tiring and sometimes you yearn for a little more sleep but it is worth it. It is the toughest job you will ever love but the rewards are greater than anything I have ever done.
I am grateful that I am a Stay-at-Home Mommy.
