I am constantly reading about the so-called “Mommy Wars”—supposedly, there is some battle going on between mothers who work outside the home and mothers who stay home with their children. To be honest, I haven’t ever actually had one of these embattled conversations with a friend or colleague and I’m wondering if it’s all media hype or what?
Now, I’m not saying that I haven’t ever had conversations with other mothers and parents about juggling work and family life, and all the different ways it can be done (or attempted)—but it’s just never felt like we were adversaries if we had different opinions. In fact, I’ve felt just the opposite—like we were all in this challenging reality together and we were just trying to figure it all out.
I’ve read some of the articles and books, and I have my own opinion about what is right and reasonable for ME—but I definitely don’t think there’s only one right way to raise children. There are just too many variables and differences in families and circumstance. Besides, it’s the very rare family that doesn’t morph and change over the years—a mother may stay home with very young children and then return to work part-time or full-time as the children get older, or take some time off to work from home or start a business when the kids are a certain age. I can’t help but think we’re all much more tolerant and flexible than the media is portraying us.
But, I could be wrong, or out of touch, or blinded by the sanity and diversity of my own world. I’d love to hear from all of you—do you think there really is animosity and a “Mommy War” going on between different mothers and their different choices for how to handle work and child rearing?
See Also: Radical Feminism Takes on the Mommy Bunch