Why is it that a woman who wants to dedicate the most vibrant years of her life to being a homemaker is socially unaccepted? Our volunteer firemen are commended and respected for giving their time (and lives) voluntarily to the dangers of community emergencies. There are a great number of respectable people who dedicate their lives to the rescue and care of animals. Not all of these volunteer positions are held by wealthy philanthropists seeking to give back to the community; many are living on a dime (for lack of better words). The point here is that there are a vast number of humanists who seek to do their good work in the community by following what they believe to be the golden rule, do unto others. They're applauded, awarded, and adulated while the homemaker is, should I say, taboo.
I'm not going to get into the sacrifices of moms who voluntarily stay at home with their children, nor will I talk about the nurturing, the giving, or the molding that's involved in motherhood. I could say that this is a commonality amongst most mothers regardless of their occupation. However, I would like to note that the moms who do choose homemaking as a full time occupation are doing far more than a meaningless work that lacks fulfillment. On the contrary, we are doing a work that gives the greatest fulfillment of all.
As this election year has progressed, I've listened to many attacks on Ann Romney's character and intelligence simply because she's a homemaker. Many of these attacks are thrust forward out of mere ignorance as feminists react to their fear that a new image in the White House may convince more women to take on the needed role of taking up home occupations, fear that women will experience a "set back" as a result of the important White House image that future generations of women may come to admire and follow. Here's a woman who placed her children before herself, trained and educated them, showed them how to be productive in their community, and served as a support for her family along the journey of building a successful business. Not just anyone can accomplish these feats. Each one requires intelligence along with selflessness, patience, kindness, gentleness, discipline, flexibility, trustworthiness, virtue, and a number of other character traits that would make this post far too long. Besides, in a society where there are so many condemning feminists to diminish and criticize such a valuable occupation, I should probably add that there's a great amount of courage involved in being a homemaker also.
Out of all of the other opportunities I've been offered in life, I've opted to experience the firsts of my babies, to nurture them in a way that brings them to me when they have questions and thoughts instead of seeking wavering peers. I've chosen to flip pancakes and bake homemade bread in the morning, read stories aloud in the afternoon, and make full course home cooked meals in the evenings so that my family will have a list of great memories of how Mom made their days special, just as the memories I have of my grandmother. I have the honor of molding and shaping my own children into productive persons, and I do this from the time my children awaken, while they walk along the way, until the time that they lie down to bed. I love my occupation as a stay at home wife and mother. So cheers to Ann Romney for standing up, defending and setting a great example for all of us stay at home Mommies who know that the choice to stay at home and shape the future from our own front door is philanthropy at its best.
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