Will my child remember that I was a SAHM
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| Wed, 06-06-2007 - 7:47pm |
It struck me today that she might not.
I was sure I was doing the best thing for my children by staying home with them (two daughters-3 years old, and 4 months old). As I was talking to a dear aunt of mine (whose daughter is a working mother, since her infant was 12 weeks old), I felt my defensive bristles go up.
She went on and on about how "If she could do it all over again....she wouldn't have stayed home....." Then she told me a story in which her ds said to her, "mom, did you stay at home with us, or did you drop us off at daycare?" She almost died when he asked her that, because she stayed at home with her ds and dd until he entered kindergarten. Granted, many kindergartners haven't formed lasting memories by that age yet...but still. It got me thinking; is this ALL WORTH IT?
She was using it in her argument against staying at home. I have a Masters Degree in Counseling that I am not using. My career lies dormant at this time. We don't have cable, newspaper service, vacations, frills of any kind, new cars, etc. because of our money situation. We are middle-class and have sacrificed SO MUCH...only for me to hear from my aunt that..."her daughter needs to work to maintain their lifestyle." Yeah, driving a Volvo, she probably does....
I just need to hear from some of you who frequent this board and have solid opinions one way or the other on this topic.
Andrea







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Hey, if you ever get the opportunity, Barbados and Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) are both really great islands to visit for history and local culture. And Dominica is also a great island for hiking, rafting, fishing. Very little of Dominica is paved over--the island pushes its tourism as a Eco-tourist site and the island is just amazingly lovely. http://www.dominica.dm/site/index.cfm
I've even been watching the incredibly cheesy CBS summer reality show "Pirate Master" because it was filmed in and around Dominica (believe me the ONLY thing that show has to offer is the scenery--I just put the TV on mute and reminisce).
I'm SO going back to Dominica. And Barbados. And Puerto Rico, too, for that matter. (Okay, and St. Kitts and the Virgin Islands). They all had way more to offer in terms of history and culture than just hanging at the beach at a resort that basically shuts itself away from the rest of the island.
Yeah, it's such a drag when INVITED GUESTS refuse to pony up to their share of the expenses.
"Maybe it's not for you, but your life probably isn't for me either."
This is the crux of the whole debate, IMO. WHat is best for each family is different because each family is different. Children grow up to be happy healthy self-actualized adults in all work status families.
Whether you intended it or not, your first posts dripped of "sah is best for all" attitude. You used some language that many "militant" sah have used in the past.
You are lucky to have parents that will/are able to take your children for several days so you and your DH can have together time. :)
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