From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5d!houxz!houxi!houxa!houxb!houxq!houxo!mts Newsgroups: net.women Title: re: Working(Selfish) Mothers Article-I.D.: houxo.148 Posted: Mon Jan 31 14:51:55 1983 Received: Tue Feb 1 10:15:43 1983 At the cost of brevity, my initial response (to the young woman deciding whether to have children) seems to have been grossly misunderstood. I am working 40 hours a week for economic and personal reasons. I am exceptionally lucky in having the best babysitter that a woman would want for her children -- my mother. (But let's not knock the other warm, loving women out there who are very capable of this task.) But, I must say, I really love my two little girls. My husband and I spend more time with our children on weekends and in the evenings than with anything or anyone else.(that's why my house rarely gets cleaned). My one most important point was directed to the young woman's anxiety about burnout, where I feel it's so important to take care of your personal needs to avoid burnout. I was exaggerating about being just 'fed and healthy', because I'm the first one to do arts & crafts, play educ. games, visit museums, etc. with my older daughter. It's not easy being a working mother. I can sympathize with those unfortunate women who don't have supportive husbands and mothers to assist in their needs. But it is definitely the most difficult task you can tackle -- being a mother and a career-person. I make 2.5 times the amount my husband makes -- that's the major reason I work. If I didn't work, I probably wouldn't be able to have and raise the two darling children we have. One final point, if you can bear with me. Last week, my older daughter was in the hospital for 5 days. If I'm such a 'selfish' mother, how come I stayed there with her the entire time, 24 hours a day, since this was the first time she'd been in a hospital, and it was a frightening experience for her. I don't likeit when some people make rash comments and label certain women as being selfish for whatever reason. I respect women for whatever they decide to do with their lives-- be it only wife, only mother, both mother and career-person, or whatever. Every woman has a legitimate reason for being and doing with her life as she chooses. And I will openly support that right and privilege. P.S. thanks Yigal, etal. mt sarantakos (MTS) !houxo!mts