Stay-at-home moms — DISCOVERED!

NROnline ^ | 3/19/04 | Rich Lowry

[Right_Mom]

The cause of women's liberation just took a huge step forward. The mainstream media, in the form of Time magazine, has finally recognized as legitimate the choices of those women who decide to stay home with their young children.

In a cover story headlined "The Case for Staying Home," the magazine reports, without sneering or condescension, the trend toward more new mothers leaving the work force. This is an important cultural benchmark, because until now, the media, feminist leaders and other opinion-makers have tended to portray stay-at-home moms as a regrettable throwback to what should be a long-gone era of child-rearing. Now, perhaps, we are ready to honor the full range of choices made by women struggling with how to balance career and family.

[Right_Mom]

As a stay-at-home mother of three, I have to express my delight to see Time Magazine finally acknowledging this growing trend of moms CHOOSING to stay home with their children despite the negative portrayal of us by the feminist groups. Woohoo

[shezza]

Many of the new stay-at-home moms have realized that day care might not be an adequate substitute for the attention of a mother.

Gee, ya think?????

[Tax-chick]

Now, perhaps, we are ready to honor the full range of choices made by women struggling with how to balance career and family.

And for our next trick, maybe we could write a sentence using even MORE feminazi buzzwords!

Seriously, not a bad article, good sentiments, but he's certainly assimilated the Enemy's vocabulary ...

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

I enjoyed this Time article - although I seriously doubt that I'll ever be a stay-at-home mom, I hate to see it derided by some feminist groups. More younger women now are choosing to stay home for just a few years before returning to their careers, and the article had several examples of that as well.

Now we need some recognition for stay-at-home dads as well, maybe then society will see that being a full-time parents is a valid "career" option!

[Poohbah]

My take: ONE parent has to be there for the kid. I don't particularly care which one it is--I recognize that in most cases, it will be the mother--but a PARENT has to be there.

[HungarianGypsy]

Part of the reason I became a stay at home mom was because I couldn't afford to give all the money I was making to a day care center. With four kids it would be expensive.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Gee, I feel so validated! Look everyone, we exist!!!

Don't mind me, I spent years being made to feel like a second class citizen because I stayed home with the kids.

Of course this is Bush's fault...

[shezza]

By the way, good on ya. We make a lot of sacrifices so I can stay at home and be with our boys. We don't eat out much, we live in a modest home, we drive older cars. We don't go to the mall every weekend, we don't see many movies in the theater, we don't take vacations every year. We don't buy expensive toys, expensive cars, or expensive baubles. And we couldn't be happier! (Besides, my feet STILL hurt from all those years of high-heeled office garb.)

[Alberta's Child]

According to one survey, 51 percent of Gen X moms were home full time, compared with 33 percent of boomer moms.

I don't understand clearly what is being compared here. If the comparison is being made between Generation X mothers and Boomer mothers today then it should be pointed out that very few Boomer mothers have young kids anymore. If the comparison is being made between Generation X mothers today and Boomer mothers when they were the same age, then the difference between these two figures is astonishing.

[Phantom Lord]

Didn't Time Magazine make a major scientific breakthrough a few years ago and run a cover story on it...

Boys and Girls Born Different!

[cspackler]

Question, has anyone looked int the effect that the growing numbers of stay at home parents is affecting the unemployment numbers? I do know from my own circle of friends that more and more are going this route. How much of an affect would this show in the monthly numbers that are being spun out of control?

[Tax-chick]

Boys and Girls Born Different!

They must have looked in a lot of diapers before they figured that one out!

[Right_Mom]

Good for you, too. Your life sounds strikingly similar to mine .... except I have GIRLS! Help me when they are in their teens. The way I see it, it's all about choices. We stay-at-home moms choose to make do with less to be able to stay home.

[sandbar]

I wish I could afford to stay at home with my kids, but I'm glad I had the chance to for a few years. Nothing wrong with devoting your life to your family, nothing to be ashamed of.

[workerbee]

What are the "official" years of the different generations? I was born in 1967, am I an X? I can't keep up with all the labels.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP - SOCIOLOGY - FAMILY - MOTHERS - STAY-AT-HOME

[dawn53]

I quit work when my son was born, almost 16 years ago now.

He just started college classes full time, so I've rejoined the work force, but I do computer work from home and only put in about 30 hours per week.

IMHO, the main disadvantage to leaving the work force is that even though I worked for 13 years straight full time before my son was born (I had him when I was 35), I now have to basically start over with Social Security and Social Security Disability credits, since I've been out of the work force for more than 10 years.

Not that I really expect SS to be around when I retire, LOL, but it just seems like you should be able to retain your credits, even though you've been out of the work force.

[Tax-chick]

Unemployment figures are supposed to represent the number looking for work but not finding it. Theoretically, moms who have left the job market would not be included. However, some articles I've seen have talked about "invisible unemployment" - people who don't have jobs and aren't looking - as a way of suggesting that lower unemployment figures somehow aren't good news.

[AnnaZ]

You're an X. Most consider the core Gen-X group to be those born between 1965 and 1975. Some include 1961-1981/2. (I'm '67, too.)

[Alberta's Child]

I think the "official" definition of the Baby Boomer generation includes anyone born from 1946 to 1964.