Adventures in Parenting

I remember sitting in a circle at a college fellowship group at church, each person introducing himself/herself.  We were asked to  “Tell us your name and what you would like to be doing in 5 years.”

“My name is George, and I hope to be working for a graphic design company.”

“My name is Denise, and I want to be writing screen plays.””

The responses were what you would expect to hear from a group of college students, working for a degree, and aiming to put that to use in the work world.

When it came to my turn, my response shocked a few people.

“My name is Katy, and I hope to be married and raising a family.”

“What you said didn’t sound too good.” A friend came up to tell me afterward. “It sounds like you are desperate to find a man!”  It was often joked about that some girls are in college , not to get a B.A. or a B.S. degree, but to get a MRS.  They were looked upon condescendingly. My wish to be a wife and mother was politically incorrect.

I’m all for higher education. But is pursuing a profession and joining the workplace the only route for girls? Do girls know that here in the 21st century we do have options? That includes the option to be a stay at home mom and homemaker.

It is interesting that all my stay-at- home mom friends  have a college degree or higher – MBAs, law degrees, engineering degrees, Master degrees in education.  I have a Masters in Christian Education. Was all that schooling “wasted”?

Schooling trains your mind, not just for a job

My daughter is an engineering major in college. It’s costing us a pretty penny, more than enough for a down payment for a nice house. Yet, I tell my daughter that if she has children one day, being a stay-at-home mom is the best “job” she can ever have. Don’t be afraid that she “wasted” her education or the money.

People look at  a college degree as a way to get a job. If that is so, college is wasted on a SAHM . But college is “education”. It teaches you to think, to solve problems. It opens your world to new perspectives and knowledge. Can any of that be a “waste”? It serves to make you a better person, a better wife, and a better mom.

Every kid is asked, at one time or another, that question loaded with high expectations, “SO, what do you want to be when you grow up?”  How does your daughter answer that question?

Next post: A “stay at home daughter”.