The Case for Staying Home - More Women Are Sticking With the Kids

Time (via AOL news) ^ | 3/16/04 | Claudia Wallis

[Terriergal]

thx. Man though, when you get a tough kid, it's hard to spend all that time with them. No wonder so many moms are on antidepressants! ;-)

[pettifogger]

Those who praise "careers" don't know what really matters in life. I'm 41 and wouldn't have missed my 4-yr old asking whether God is a girl or a boy for nothing. Came as I was changing the baby's diaper and no day care worker would have had them in the same room much less known how to answer that one. Careers are overrated in my book.

[Trillian]

Check your freepmail :)

[shaggy eel]

No wonder so many moms are on antidepressants! ;-)

,,, and so many kids on Ritalin.

[pettifogger]

Many WERE parents -- male partners making in the 7 figures and already on wife (and family) number two (or three). I told one of them I wouldn't want to be him when I grew up. He said he wouldn't want to be him either!

[GOPGrrl]

Is there a SAHM group??

[tiamat]

I am sure there are.
Freepmail me, and i wi try and find something,

Tomorrow!

LOL!

[ShadowDancer]

It's harder than anyone can conceive until they do it, isn't it? But, it's worth the fear and struggle it takes and then some, too. Life is full of gambles. If you know your heart and soul, you'll come out okay in the end and so will your kids. Tons of heartbreak and work notwithstanding.

[mlmr]

Enjoy them while they are small. Never stop having babies until your babyhunger is sated.

[luckystarmom]

I have a special needs child, and it is very hard road to take. It is definitely not for just anyone. I had no choice in the matter, but I don't think I would willingly choose to adopt a special needs kid.

The people that do are truly courageous.

[JTG]

Indeed they are.

[Ol' Sox]

My wife and I have two special needs children, our adopted sons. Listen to this, and praise God with me afterwards.

My boys were biological brothers, 5 and 6 when we brought them home. They had suffered from severe neglect, malnutrition and physical abuse. One had a tested IQ of 64, the other, 71. Birthmother on drugs, neither could read in the slightest, verbally challenged, both had auditory processing difficulties, and one was born prematurely and was legally blind. They had been shuttled through foster homes for three years and were considered unadoptable.

Today, they are both 12. My oldest showed me his report card just yesterday - he's made the honor roll at Junior High for the second straight semester. Last year, he took FIRST PLACE in Physics in our city science fair (thats in a city where there are 12 elementary schools!).

My younger son is doing almost as well, and tutors the next-door neighbor's son. He leads a children's cell group at our church, and plans out and teaches a Bible lesson each week.

This would never have been possible if my wife was not at home. She was a corporate citizen for 15 years, but when it came time to raise the children, we knew she would stay home with them. She is awesome. My awesome fiery, redheaded Irish, stubborn, straightshootin', kickass wife! Whoooyeah! ahem...love her to death.

[Trillian]

God bless you both, that is so amazing! :)

[firerosemom]

I wonder about that. I have no access to any stats, but you'd think that there'd be plenty of babies that were conceived on college campuses. I mean, maybe not - I don't know the percentage of adoptees who'd been born to addicted mothers. But when I sent my son off to college, I was floored at the literature the university health service had put in the ladies room stalls, and at the freshman orientation videos that basically let them know that they had free access to the you-name-it variety of contraceptive options. Abortion was treated as a value-neutral option, one among many equally value-neutral options. It was very disheartening.

Harmless Teddy Bear, I'm interested in the fact that you were able to adopt black babies - I guess I'd been under the impression that there were many obstacles to that, such as black advocacy groups raising objections that black children should only be raised by black parents. Did you run into that kind of objection?

[firerosemom]

Wow! That is truly heartwarming! May God continue to bless you and your family!

[JTG]

Firerosemom, I don't mean to interrupt your discussion with Harmless Teddy Bear, but I just had to interject and add a thought here.

I don't know about the obstacles to white people adopting black babies, but if THAT is the reason that there are still some black babies that haven't been adopted, then I am truly disgusted. Those people are doing a disservice to their community if they are advocates of this racist practice of making kids sit in foster homes because a black person who doesn't want to adopt the kid himself/herself feels that it's not appropriate for the kid to be adopted by a white parent. This just disgusts me. We are better than that, I hope.

[narses]

Please read this. Please comment. Please pass this on to your email lists.

[rocky88]

What a wonderful example of God's love. God Bless you, your wife and your boys.

[luckystarmom]

I am definitely praising God for you and your wife!!!!

What a challenge, but look at the rewards here on Earth
and your rewards will be even greater in Heaven!

[Marie]

I've noticed that most hsed kids are less angry than kids with working moms. Less frustrated.