the rant

[crunchymama]

Motivated by an innocent post that basically stated (not verbatim) I am planning on SAHM with my expected baby but I read the section in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding on the importance of stying home with baby (after the section on pumping, don't know which edition she has) and it made ME feel guilty for even considering not staying home. A lot

Comments

[stellas_terra]

sing it sister!

everything you stated, i have said or thought at one time or another! i have worked up to this point with my kids and regret having someone else raise them up to this point....but no more! once this baby comes, i'm quitting my 'real' job and staying at home with my 3 children AND working hard at getting my herbal product business up and running...actually just running, it's already up.

our society is so guilt ridden over consumerism and keeping up with the joneses that they don't really get it...and to try to tell them...well, like you said, it would not be favorable. it will take a serious situation (like the depression) to get most of these types of people to make a radical change that would benefit their family....most people are too self centered to care about anyone else, offspring included.

sad, sad, sad.

I love you!

[kartusch]

You are totally and compleatly right. My family of 5 survived on 7000$ last year. Me working with an infant was not an option. We did make a unique family choice we now live with my mom but this is not well we live here till we make enough to live on own this is permanant. My mom makes GOOD money and feels as much as I do that my working is not an option and my mom hates/cooking cleaning so this is perfect solution. either way Mr. Kartusch got a new job here with a pay we can easily live off of but which I am sure many would see as one where I would have to work to survive($24 000). Society really does need to change its views on this I can not believe how much flack I got for staying home with my children.

[jpallan]

America is unique that we really do expect college educated SAHMs.

As a single mother, I've made some tough choices that I am confident are right for my family -- including WOH etc. -- but I've known many girls who aspire to not WOH yet are going to university (and loading themselves with $80k of student loan debt in the deal) in the meantime -- who in hell do they think is going to pay all that debt? Why do they need a degree in French literature if they want to stay at home with their kids? Why can't they self-teach a lot of it, take a few continuing ed courses here and there, and such? It's not that hard to read a book and learn from it. I get it if you want to go on to WOH -- but what if you already know you don't want to?

I'm also not okay with the reflexive "I just got out of high school I should go to college with no professional experience and no clue of what I want to do and no maturity" thing but that's a whole different rant.

[persephone82]

*CLAPCLAPCLAP* You said it way better than I ever could. Standing O to you. :)