After a busy morning with my kids, followed by an afternoon fighting for good behaviour whilst running errands, It was roughly 4pm & I felt a sigh of relief as I pulled on my drive.
The thought of sitting down for the first time today & switching my lovely pink laptop on to catch up on the goings on in the world bought a warm feeling inside.
I am a surf-a-holic! Its my vice in life, namely Pinterest where I can get lost & convince myself that I've done a full days work "researching" beautiful projects for the home that will possibly never come to fruition, (at least not while I have the kids at home to keep me busy).
Anyhoo, my back was up the minute I read todays headlines thanks to "politically Correct" Cherie Blair. I would say, if you ask most Brits what their opinion of the woman is .. it would NOT be good!
I just had to share my thoughts on the offending article-
Cherie Blair attacks yummy mummies who choose children over careers!
How can she tar every Mother with the same brush?! Does this woman have any morals?
It begs the question, what was her own relationship like with her Mother?
Anyone who knows me, knows I am not the most maternal of woman.. my better half may even tell you I'm more maternal with our "other girls" (the K9 variety), but a Mothers roll is so important!
I do not banter to the kids demands, I am not a hard woman by any means but I do not want my children to grow up to be brats.
My children are no more "dependant" than the next kid, but I do give them the security they need & shower them with love & devotion.
I want my children to be educated & do well in the world, Its sure gonna be harder on them then it was on me growing up!
Reading Cherie's article really blew a fuse! It reminded me of my husbands favorite quote
Henri started pre-school last September, in our home.. its a great bribe. We use to for good behaviour "if you don't stop being naughty, you aren't going to school tomorrow". It works a treat, he stops the mischief (temporarily).. we LOVE school in our home. We haven't had a bad day sending him off to pre-school, its almost like he's desperate to get away from me & at four years of age, his reading is coming along great, he has NEVER had to go in time out, his teachers LOVE his manners & say he's a pleasure to have!
My daughter is due to start pre-school this September, I already have a battle every day to drag her out of school when we drop her big brother off & collect him. She is just chomping at the bit!
I choose to stay at home with my children.. believe me, there are days when I would love to duck tape them to the wall, they try my patience but they are my most precious treasures in all the world & more importantly, our future! So, in response to Cherie's article in which she belittles the work of a mother, I CHOOSE my children, I choose motherhood. They are more important to me then any career right now.
I realise other factors come into play, not everyone can afford to stay home, I used to work shifts starting at 3am, having to be up & out for 2am in a bustling International Airport. I'd come home to a full day with the kids but it was exhausting, My husband would fly out the door as I'd walk in, like ships passing in the night (only morning) with just enough time to give him a quick peck on the cheek before he was off.
If either of the kids were sick in the night, Steve (my better half) would be up with them only to have to do a full day on the road the following day causing him to be tired=dangerous!
We get by now on a humble wage & I contribute by selling on eBay. I am nowhere near as tired as when I worked & we spend more quality time together as a family.
Think about this, did your Mother go out to work or was she a stay at home Mom?.. how did you feel about that?
My Mom was a full time "Homemaker" & I
Please do not think that I am against working Mothers, this blog is just to voice as a stay at home Mom that I do have ambition, I dream of running my own furniture store with bespoke pieces made with my very own hands, in my very own workshop, but that can wait, for now, I am doing the most important role for me.. raising a family.
A friend of mine posted this on facebook & I just have to use it!
I, like millions of women around the world sacrifice building a career for the good of our families.
I am proud of what I do. My role is at times, the most challenging, emotional & tiring that I've ever had, but I sure get 100% job satisfaction which I have never achieved before, & while my family is happy.. I am too.
I am, just a Mom.
Lou I enjoyed your post! I have friends who have worked outside of the home for many different reasons. One friend worked for financial reasons. By that I mean to put food on the table, not fund a new car or to fund big holidays but to provide the essentials. Another friend knew her marriage would come to an end due to devastating choices her husband was making and knew the time would come we're she would be left to support herself & her children. Another friend of mine works because her husband is ill and can't provide, whilst another has educated herself and starting working because her husbands health is deteriorating & she knows one day she will be left to financially support her family. Another mother I know works because being at home sent her into depression where she wasn't able to function. You think by my comment that I am an advocate of working mums? I am not!! I am currently a stay at home mum and like you I know this is the most valuable work a woman can perform. I make financial sacrifices to stay n the home which really aren't sacrifices because of the blessings that come from being there for my children. That doesn't mean I do everything for them physically or make all of their decisions for them. I am teaching them to be independant by being in their lives! There are a lot of problems in our societies that stem from poor parenting and the breakdown of important family values. For Cherie to come out with such a statement, presuming it hasn't been badly reported is In my opinion not for the good of our family units or society as a whole although we have exceptions as I mentioned. My mum had to work part time and only for 1.5 hours each evening. I hated it ... I loved being with her all of the time. I loved that she would be home when I walked in the door from school and that she was always there to support when needed. I am a very independent adult - not because she worked outside of the home but because of her presence, love and nurturing. This equal rights stuff that is mentioned in her post i find annoying. We are not in competition with men. We work together as men & women to provide the balance that is needed in both our homes & society. Oh dear I have rambled ... A comment has turned int a post in itself!! Keep writing your blog - you're so good at it!!
ReplyDelete