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[guitarcries]

I belong to the Day in My Life community here on LJ, and although it posts directly to my friends list, I must admit that I don't read all, or even half, of the entries. For some reason, it seems like the type of entry I'm most likely to read is any posted by a young married housewife with children (no older than 24 or 25). I'm not exactly sure

Comments

[thatnanda]

We all want what we don't have. When I didn't have a kid, all I wanted was a kid. Now all I want is to do all the stuff I missed out on by having a kid. Not that I regret the kid, as I'm sure you know, but still. That ship has sailed now, and it ain't never coming back. But then again, I look at all you single people, and you don't seem to be living these drastically different lives from mine, so I reiterate: we all want what we don't have. Thing is, even when we have it, we're still ourselves, and nothing's really changed, only the circumstance. Even when you travel, everywhere you go, there you are.

[schmi]

No job! Living with kid(s) and a husband! Major responsibilities involve cooking, cleaning, shopping, and caring for children!
Until said husband disappears or turns into an abusive bastard and you find that you are and your children are financially dependent on him, you have no value on the job market and you don't have any savings of your own.

Sorry if I sound cynical, but I grew up in that environment and it never fails to amaze me when I see women in the Western world longing for that. It's a myth - a beautiful myth and a dangerous one.

[guitarcries]

It's not so much that I long for it... as I stated in my entry that I would likely be depressed in such a situation. It's more that it seems like a fairy tale to me, so strange and bizarre that I almost can't imagine it really exists. Sure, there is a slight element of longing, but only in the same way that I might long to be a medieval princess.

I guess I'm also pretty cynical, which contributes to my disbelief. Relatively functional families where the dad works and makes enough money that the mom is able to choose (I would assume) to stay home? Kids who seem happy? A mom that's satisfied just taking care of her family and home? It's not that I think there's something wrong with all that... it's just hard to believe such people exist.

[schmi]

Oh they exist, but whether they are happy and whether this is the ideal situation for everyone? I greatly doubt it.

[guitarcries]

It's definitely not ideal for everyone. Again, I think this is why it's so hard for me to believe that these women who make these posts are happy. It seems like a perfect situation dreamed up by someone... and that it could really exist and work and the women would be okay with it... I dunno.