I often think about what I will do once I am ready to rejoin the workforce. I by no means miss the mundane office job I had but I do miss the paycheck. Extra money is always nice to have. I have read various articles that cite the difficulties faced by women who after a period away from their careers find it difficult or impossible to transition back in. Partly because they’re out of touch and not up to date. In one article the author cautioned women to remain as involved as possible in order to stay on top of things within their careers. 

In her article Grown and Flown: Why I regret Being a Stay-at-Home Mom Lisa Endlich Heffernan details the reasons she regrets her decision to stay home with her children. I think her writeup is interesting but I by no means sympathise with her. It’s too early for me to tell how I will feel about my decision to stay home for a few years but I highly doubt I will regret it. I think it’s very sad that people don’t put any value in stay at home parents. I think it’s a valid choice. I’m not going to say that it provides the best environment and will produce the best kids but it’s certainly not damaging.  

I believe that if you don’t value yourself and what you do neither will your children. I never once thought that my mom did nothing. I always had hot meals, clean clothes and a nice home to come back to. I had a person ready and willing to drive me all over town. I had a safe, supervised place to bring friends after school. Even then I knew that having a parent who was able to stay home was a luxury. I still feel that it’s a luxury which is why I think it’s abominable to ever shame parents for working, particularly women.  

Dr. Claire McCarthy wrote this piece on the whole stay-at-home mom versus working mom debate that we all seem to focus on. I agree with her. There shouldn’t be a comparison. I am all for discussing the pros and cons of each but to compare the two and declare one superior to the other is short sighted and counterproductive in my opinion. The comment sections of both articles I’ve linked to are interesting and present many points of view. As usual the potential for rude commentary is abused by some. 

I realize as I write this post that this is a topic I have come back to often. Sometimes it’s an article or a sanctimonious cretin that spurs me to once again consider the topic. This time I am brought to consider it for happier reasons. My mom has recently gone back to school. I am proud of her for going after what she wants. I am also immensely happy for her. Call me crazy but I believe in living life in whatever way makes you happy. We are never too old to go back to school and change our lives. We are always able to reinvent ourselves and start over. 

Going back to school is possibly one of the things I am most excited about. I look forward to getting to the point where I am ready to make my next move.