A couple weeks ago, the little girls were sitting at the counter in the kitchen doing their homework. I was getting dinner ready and helping them when needed. They started chatting to each other about life will be like when they get older and have families and lives of their own.
Georgia- "Remember Lana, when we get big we will take turns working and taking care of our kids."
Lana- "Yeah, some days I will go to work and you will stay home with your kids and my kids and some days you will go to work and I will stay home!"
Georgia-"Yup!"
I was surprised to learn that they had worked out such a great solution on their own to what haunts every mother around the world. The pull between wanting to stay home and raise your kids on your own, and wanting to continue to be in the working world to keep your own identity, and because you know, money. They had thought of a job sharing situation all on their own. Not that either one of them know what they want to do for a job, so who knows if it would even lend itself to this scenario, but hey! Good for them for thinking of this. Then Georgia thought of something better.
Georgia- "Wait a minute! Why don't we just make our HUSBANDS stay home and WE will go to work!"
Lana- "Oh yeah! Let's do that!"
Wow. We sure have come a long way in just a couple of generations. From woman doing no work outside the home, to working or staying home, to working and having Dad stay home and having it be a NORMAL situation. I will admit, I have worried from time to time that my staying home with the girls might make them think that they shouldn't work or shouldn't want to work, but I truly believe that everyone needs to do what is right for them. I do feel sometimes I am looked down on for not working at all, but I like being a stay at home mom. I think moms who work are doing what is best for them as well and we should all be tolerant of what others decide to do for their own families. And Dads! My generation has definitely been the first to do this. It's nice to know that my girls' generation will be the first to make it not such a novelty. After listening to their conversation about this, I realized I have done a good job conveying to them that they make whatever decision they want as far as working and family is concerned. We are no longer expected to fit into one mold or another and I think that is a great success for both moms AND dads.
Georgia- "Remember Lana, when we get big we will take turns working and taking care of our kids."
Lana- "Yeah, some days I will go to work and you will stay home with your kids and my kids and some days you will go to work and I will stay home!"
Georgia-"Yup!"
I was surprised to learn that they had worked out such a great solution on their own to what haunts every mother around the world. The pull between wanting to stay home and raise your kids on your own, and wanting to continue to be in the working world to keep your own identity, and because you know, money. They had thought of a job sharing situation all on their own. Not that either one of them know what they want to do for a job, so who knows if it would even lend itself to this scenario, but hey! Good for them for thinking of this. Then Georgia thought of something better.
Georgia- "Wait a minute! Why don't we just make our HUSBANDS stay home and WE will go to work!"
Lana- "Oh yeah! Let's do that!"
Wow. We sure have come a long way in just a couple of generations. From woman doing no work outside the home, to working or staying home, to working and having Dad stay home and having it be a NORMAL situation. I will admit, I have worried from time to time that my staying home with the girls might make them think that they shouldn't work or shouldn't want to work, but I truly believe that everyone needs to do what is right for them. I do feel sometimes I am looked down on for not working at all, but I like being a stay at home mom. I think moms who work are doing what is best for them as well and we should all be tolerant of what others decide to do for their own families. And Dads! My generation has definitely been the first to do this. It's nice to know that my girls' generation will be the first to make it not such a novelty. After listening to their conversation about this, I realized I have done a good job conveying to them that they make whatever decision they want as far as working and family is concerned. We are no longer expected to fit into one mold or another and I think that is a great success for both moms AND dads.
