Vicious Women

   I just finished reading an article entitled The True Expertise of a Stay-at-Home-Mom. It was cute and lighthearted. It said SAHMs had 22 jobs, like doctor, chauffeur and chef and that the author had learned new talents, such as grocery shopping with two toddlers. I started skimming through the comments just to see what people were saying and I was shocked to see how quickly they turned vicious. The comment that started it all, though, was: 

The vast majority of 'working' mothers I know shower at the gym after dropping the kids off at daycare and go shopping before picking them up and I'm sure they all have access to bathroom facilities during the many hours a day they spend away from their children. I do wish people would stop with this "I do everything a SAHM does and I work full time" nonsense because it is so obviously and completely wrong. Using that argument just makes you look foolish and petty. 

She was responding to a mom who said she did all those things and work 40 hours a week so SAHMs should get off their high horses. Well! The working moms came out in force! They were very insulted, to say the least. I don't blame them because obviously, not all mothers are like the ones she describes. The vast majority are probably like my sister: very busy! I was sympathetic until I read THIS comment:

Working moms are off pursuing dreams and accomplishments aside from their children, which they are allowed to have. Seriously, what kind of dream and aspiration is that of staying home being bitter all day and never have another goal in life than to be at home?

Now, I'm going to give this mom the benefit of the doubt and believe she's not talking about all SAHMs and that she's referring to the mom who made the other comment. But it really irked me. I don't have goals? I don't have aspirations? Dreams? SAHMs live only for their children? They have no identity?

Thankfully, many of the moms said that SAHMs as well as working moms have it tough but in different ways. It's hard staying home and it's hard going to work. There are good things about staying home and good things about going to work.
    My mom has said many times it's so sad that women fought for so long for the right to choose to do what they wanted to do: stay at home, go to work, have kids, don't have kids, get married, don't get married... and now that we finally have that right, we judge each other. We put each other down for making XYZ decision for XYZ reason when we should be bolstering each other, supporting each other, celebrating each others' decisions because we have that privilege.

After all, we moms need all the love and support we can get.