Mother Knows Best

There are many professions in our society that are respected such as: doctors, firefighters, and teachers. There is one job, however, that people continue to criticize and look down upon: the stay at home mom. I believe that one of the biggest issues people have with stay at home moms is that people perceive being a full time mom as an easy task. People do not realize what goes into staying at home all day every day with your children and these are the same people that criticize women who chose to devote their lives to their children. Being a mother is a job and it is hard work. One has to wake up early, care for children, do housework, run errands, work weekends and all without the benefit of receiving a pay check. Being a full time mom is not a 9-5 job and one never gets to ‘clock out.’

I am not implying that all women should give up their hopes and professional aspirations to become a stay at home. I am not saying that women who work instead of staying home are bad mothers. I am not saying these things because I do not believe them to be true and because they are unfair to the women who are ambitious and want a career or women who can simply not afford to stay at home. I respect these women and all I am advocating is for people to have respect for stay at home moms in return. People need to respect them and their decision and not look down on them because they have chosen a different path than what is nowadays considered traditional.

Another major issue I have is with women who criticize other women who stay at home. They will often argue that women in the past fought to obtain the freedoms that we enjoy now such as being able to work. My response to those women is that women in the past did not fight so we could work; they fought so we could have the option of working.

I urge people to rethink their perceptions of women who decide to make being a mom their one and only job. Being a mother is an arduous task and women who decide to be a housewife should not be looked down upon. Women who devote their lives to their children should be praised not bashed.