I received the following email from Carrie, a Homebodies reader from California. She expressed herself so well, I wanted to share her thoughts with you.
"I am a stay-at-home mom to my two-year-old daughter, Madeline. When I am not changing diapers, filling juice cups, playing in the sandbox or blowing bubbles (not to mention hanging out the laundry, putting away the clean dishes, loading up the dirty dishes, picking up toys, etc.) I sometimes write or design websites.
"Today was a two-year-old day. My daughter wasn't listening to a word I was saying. If I said, "Go up," she'd yell "NO!" and go down. By the end of the day, I was fried! But you know, I wouldn't trade the worst day at home for the best day at an outside job. My husband, who is a steadfast supporter of doing what's best for our daughter, hence, my staying home, gets a bit jealous at times. And who can blame him? I have the best job on earth, and it pays nothing in terms of money, but is priceless in terms of what it does for my soul.
"My husband likes me at home for other reasons. A fastidious housekeeper, we can both well imagine what life would be like if I worked outside the home and then had to come home and complete my chores. That little person would get lost in the shuffle, told to get out of the way, and snapped at, I'm sure.
"I was part of a generation that was sold a bill of goods on working outside the home. I was in honors classes and graduated a semester early with a 3.87 GPA. I went to college and did well there, too. Along the way, I was told while sitting in class, `Don't have babies, and if you do, don't let it interfere with your success.' We were groomed to become the next front line of the feminist revolution. We were bred to be the next generation of materialists and consumers.
"I have seen the results of the warehousing of children in my own extended family. My niece and nephew are a breeding ground for every virus on the planet. Parents regularly, knowingly, send their children into day care sick - since they have important meetings and appointments. My niece has had over 100 different providers in the centers she's been to. She never knows who will be taking care of her in any five-minute time period. She whines, cries, and we have watched her go from the bubbly baby new to daycare to the sullen first grader who looks as if she knows too much about getting lost in the shuffle.
"I am part of a new front line -- those of us who are reclaiming our pride in parenting. Those of us who know that quality time cannot be scheduled. If Maddie wants a bubble bath at 2:16 in the afternoon, she can have one. If she wants to color at 4:27, we can. In between it all, all the ironing, vacuuming, mopping and cleaning are done by the time my husband gets home. Because of this, our stress level as a family is down, and our enjoyment of the home up.
"I thank you for being a member of this force, as well. Because we are doing battle. The rocks are being hurled at the castle, and it is us who stay at home who are the ones fortifying our homes in order that the attack not reach inside."
Sincerely, Carrie, Forest Ranch, CA
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