"Out there" doesn't come close....

I am sitting here at my desk, shaking my head. I just read an article about what some women feel is the "new" job for all the mothers who find themselves unemployed. The "new" job is.......... being a mother. Does this strike anyone else as ludicrous?? The women interviewed for this particular article - for the most part - were worried about going back to work because they wanted to, and not just for financial reasons.


One commented how "surprised" she was that her 8 year old daughter wanted to "spend her summer" with her mom, and that she was "worried" about being home ALL summer with her children........ WHY should it be surprising that children want to spend time with their parents. Are you surprised by it? I'm certainly not. God intended for children to spend time with their parents, to learn from them, and be guided by them. And why in the world would someone not look at spending time with their children as a gift?

Another mother came to the realization "that she'd always really known" that she preferred to work and was "tired of being home with JUST her children". I find this incredibly sad. I am so incredibly grateful to be home with my children, and often the very best days are when it is "just us"!! WHY does anyone intentionally have a child only to turn it over to someone - most often complete strangers - to raise??? Can someone please explain this to me?

Believe me, I understand all about having to work - a single parent does not have to be reminded of our obligations and responsibilities. But many, many parents PLAN to have children while KNOWING that they will go back to work - by choice or by necessity. Pardon me for saying so, but I just DON'T GET IT....

Another woman quoted in the article knows SO little about her 2 year-old's life (yes, I said TWO) that she had to "get directions from him to find his playgroup room", and the "pediatrician's staff didn't know who she was because they had always seen him with the nanny" when she took her son in for a check-up!! PLEASE..... Does she know ANY thing about her son's life? Anything? At all??

I will probably ruffle some feathers by posting this, but that is OK. Ruffled feathers means we are thinking. If we begin to truly think about situations, maybe that will lead to realizations. And perhaps, just perhaps, that will lead to action. I know that in this case, I might be "preaching to the choir", but some of you may be able to influence other mothers in similar situations. And on those days when YOU think there may be "life out there", please remember that the LIVES in here (our homes) are SO much more valuable than anything "out there" could ever be. In fact, "out there" can't even come close..... :-)