Workin' It Part 2

I wanted to clear something up from my last post. I have to admit I was writing it during peanut's "rest time" where he kept throwing things against the wall and I found him perched atop of his dresser three times, so I wasn't exactly focused. As a result, I think I may have insinuated stay-at-home-moms don't show the value of women to their children.

NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL!

I know plenty of moms, my mother-in-law included, who did not technically work outside of the home. She did, however, work hard as an involved parent on school committees and activities and had an active hobby life turned side-line business. I obviously think she did okay teaching her sons how to respect women since I married one of them. Although the hubby doesn't think I walk on water (which is unfortunate!), he does value my opinion, my contribution, my intelligence, my wants/needs/desires and I never feel less than in his eyes because I don't have a "job" right now.

The hubby listens to me rant and rave about equal pay for equal work and the male-centered view of corporate America, that although not always conscious, is definitely present. He sent me this NY Times graphic last week.

I spent a lot of time last week thinking about how this view of women being worth less monetarily in the work force keeps perpetuating. That is what I want to make sure peanut avoids. Whether I pursue a career inside or outside the walls of my home, I want to ensure that my son does not grow up to add another link to the chain of this backwards thinking that holds women back. And the stories I recounted simply illustrated my fear of him thinking that "work" is a daddy's job.

As I've mentioned before, peanut's no-napping schedule has really thrown off the time I have to spend on me. As I see that slip away, the fear that mommy is one-dimensional scares me. We all, whether we are mothers, fathers, SAHMs or working mothers, need to nurture our core selves in order to be the best parents we can be. I know he is too young to understand that mommy needs mommy time, but he's obviously starting to make connections and assumptions about our roles and responsibilities in the family.

Anyway...that's where this was all coming from. Thank you for letting me clarify what may not have been clear and hopefully I didn't just confuse the issue even more, which is entirely possible. After all, I'm typing this while peanut catches up on some Clifford episodes after another abandoned "quiet" time.