Status of Parenting: Dreams, Choices, and Conflicts

I teach my children that life is not fair, but I also hope to teach them that they can dream about a day when it is.

Most people agree that it’s not really about the life you choose, but the power you have in choosing it. There’s nothing worse than feeling that you are a situation that you are in, but wouldn’t have chosen it if there were other options available.

For years, people (especially women) have fought to simply have choices available, especially when it comes to parenting. And while we have gained opportunities in the working world, we have also given up some in the “motherworld”. Why is it that we have to either give up our paychecks and therefore freedom or give up part of being a mother?

Most women juggle by taking off the first few years for their careers. There are still women that are grateful for the choice, but still want to raise their own kid? I will bring up Housewives of New Jersey again (even though I know it’s junk entertainment, it still has value in depicting real life issues) where one woman is obviously struggling between her image as career/independent woman and her role as a mother and wife. Ultimately she does make the sacrifice, puts her career on hold and makes the decision to stay at home with her 13 year old daughter who needs a full-time mom. But how many women are lucky enough to be married to someone who can provide that kind of choice?

Why isn’t parenting seen more as a career and less of a personal or just a moral obligation? Is it too much to ask to be able to do what you love and still get paid for it? If you ask an entertainer or athlete, they will tell you no.

At this point, you have to depend on the government or another individual if you want to stay at home and raise your children. Where’s the choice in that? Isn’t it a shame that some parents would rather stay at home with their children and raise them to their fullest potential, but can’t. Why can’t there be some type of investment in a future fund that helps to support parents in their role? Why isn’t parenting recognized as the life changing and world impacting job that it is? Maybe some day it will be? But not until other parents start asking the same question.

I see new shows on television, most recently one called “parenthood” where obviously this huge job is beginning to be taken more seriously, even by the media. But obviously it’s still got a long way to go.

I see children that are full of rich potential and parents as well, that are drowned out due to lack of time, energy, finances and support. Parents and children are the world’s most valuable resources and just like the air we breathe, water we drink and earth we walk on, one day we shall see it as such.