My blog tends to focus on non-controversial topics because that was the focus of the blog- fun, fashion, and vintage. I still intend to target these topics, while inserting some more serious thoughts that reflect my lifestyle and thoughts.
Here are some things readers may not know about me. I graduated 2nd in my high school class. I received a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MA in Teaching from UC Irvine. I was a damn good middle school teacher. It sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, and maybe I am. I'm listing these because I've had so many people, mostly women, question why I decided to stay at home and "waste" my education. These women range from relatives to close friends to acquaintances. Recently someone had enough thoughtless gall to question if they would ever be a SAHM (stay at home mom) after all the great education I received.
Since when did being educated become a bad thing? Am I not able to return to the job field after my kids go to school? Am I being a bad mother for staying at home and having these degrees? Am I not contributing to society by raising children who are well behaved, thoughtful, morally sound, and our future? Would you rather me be a 16 year old raising a child without receiving an education? Am I not creating a brighter future for my kids because I set the example of receiving an education?
Maybe being educated is not the bad thing, but what people are criticizing is my, actually our (referring to the husband here) choice to have a parent raise their own children. Once again, I will return to the power of rhetorical questions. Is having a parent raise their own child a bad thing? Is staying at home for a short period of time (in the grand scheme of things) a waste of life? I strongly believe the answer to these two questions is no. I am not saying that being a SAHM is the best way or the only way to raise children. Every family has different needs specific for their family. My family decided that the cost to provide full time child care was just not enough for me to be a full time working mom. Financially, this decision has taken a toll and we may be forced to reevaulate what our family needs in the future. But, for now, being a SAHM with a part time online business is what we've decided as the best route. I'm simply saying that people should stop looking down on me, and other mothers like me, like I'm wasting my potential or my life by staying at home with the kids during these critical developmental years.
Somehow, the media generated a stereotype of SAHM to be women who do nothing but gossip, shop, and lounge around all day. Unfortunately, there are many cases where this is true. But, I'm a driven, educated woman that runs a business and a blog while running a household. Please don't tell me I'm wasting my education because I guarantee you that my discipline and drive from my former school years are what's helping me to fulfill my role as a mother now and will guide me in the future if and when I decide to return to teaching or if I decide to pursue my vintage business full time or anything else I decide to do. I have options because I'm educated.
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