So I stumbled across this article on a website and it made me start to wonder more about how women are/aren't encouraged to pursue a career while raising children.
http://www.workingmother.com/web?service=direct/1/ViewAdvancedPortalPage/PortalBlocks/dlinkArticle&sp=S3131&sp=120
The article basically summarized the stories of guilt, struggle, and joy that has come from the lives of six different working mothers. What I found most interesting about all of these stories, is that each one of them ends with a "happily ever after" conclusion. For some reason or another, every story sang the song of "my children didn't like that I worked full-time when they were growing up, but now that they're older they appreciate and respect all that I've done."
While I've obviously touched on some of the positive effects of maternal employment, and support it thoroughly, I still wonder whether these stories are an accurate depiction of what working with children is really like. Maybe this source is biased, since it's been created to help support working mothers, but even so, why do they feel the need to tell women that everything will be okay in the end?
Raising children while you work must be a struggle and take a lot of time to figured out. So while I definitely don't agree with the idea that women should be advised to stay at home, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with the wishy-washy advice that everything will be fine in the end. I would just like to see that somewhere out there there is realistic advice that falls in between these two poles.
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Its tough. There is no way around it. You are basically damned if you do, and damned if you don't. I worked outside of the home right away as you know, and it almost killed me, I was jealous of the bond that my daughter was getting with her nanny, and I was all out of sorts from PPD. I ended up staying home with her, and truthfully it was not much better. I loved being with her, but the boredom the constant whining and the full responsibility of caring for her 24/7 began to feel like a burden instead of a gift. Finally I was able to find the best of both worlds. I teach preschool and she is in the daycare right down the hall. I can check on her whenever I want, and watch her play outside. I am "close" but the responsibility of educating her, tending to her every need, falls on someone else-and I am out of the house making money. It is truly amazing that I am able to do this. But its always hard, no matter what you do-there is always guilt. Being a mom, working or not-is tough.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps.
-Chelsea