Feminism and Family Values
Growing up, feminism was a huge part of who I was. The thought of not having choices like we do today in the workforce was appauling. Women are in almost every profession today and we bring to those professions a lot of skills, knowledge and perspective which has improved those professions. Our foremothers gave us all a great gift which we often take for granted today.

However, have we taken it too far? Traditionally women were to stay home to raise, care for and teach the children. This paradym shifted with women entering the work force. Today our society is based on a two income family, making it increasingly difficult for single income families to make ends meet. With two working parents, children are now being raised by daycares and schools rather than their own parents. To make up for their absence, parents are spending more money on their children by sending them to better schools, enrolling them in extra-curricular activities, and giving them every toy and DVD on the market. Each of these takes even more time from family... at what cost?

Allan and I specifically chose to have each of our children. In making the concious decision to become a mother, I also was making the decision to switch my focus from career to family for the next 18 years with each child we had. To me, having children means parenting them fully, not just when convenient or in the precious few hours between work hours and sleep. Allan and I both agreed that a full-time parent was integral to our having children and we have often discussed who should fulfill that role. At first it was him, but in the end we decided I was the one to stay at home, where I still am today.

A quandry I often face in today's society is how full time parents are viewed. If you are not a supermom/dad (juggling work and family) you are somehow a lesser person. Points go to parents who quickly add that they homeschool, yet even that doesn't equal a working parents status. I see those who work so hard they have nothing left to bring home to their children and I see children who act out to seek attention. I see overworked mothers who burn out, adrenals overworked and health ignored while they struggle to do it all. Depression is found everywhere, overworked working parents, full-time parents who feel second-class, kids who need more... where does it stop?