In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms
Product Description
They number in the millions and they are incredibly important to families and to our society, yet they are underappreciated, little respected, and even controversial. Who are they? They are the stay-at-home moms. These are women who know in their hearts that staying home to raise their children is the right choice for the whole family. Some do it from the outset of their marriages, while others make the difficult transition from career-driven women to homemakers. Either way, it is a choice that is incredibly rich and rewarding, not to mention challenging. Now Dr. Laura, building on principles developed during her long career as a licensed marriage and family therapist, provides a wealth of advice and support, as well as compassion and inspiration, to women as they navigate the wonders and struggles of being stay-at-home moms. Learn how: to hold your head high and deal with naysayers; to see the benefits of being home not only for your childre… More >>
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms
I love and respect stay at home moms. I wish my kids could have had one. While Dr. Laura is careful to point out that she is not trying to condemn working moms, she paints the issue (as she does all issues) as black and white: you are either a saintly stay at home mom, or you are chasing your own personal fulfillment and damaging your children for life. Here’s a news flash: life really isn’t that simple. And those of us who had no choice but to “abandon” our children to day care (nannies? what is she even talking about?) don’t need yet another guilt trip, thanks anyway. Nor, I suspect, do moms who have the means to stay at home need a screed from Dr. Laura to inspire them; their love for their own children is all the motivation they need. That’s why God makes them cute. This is a book that really didn’t need to be written. Save your money. You need it for diapers.
For starters, it’s a poorly written book, repetitive and pedestrian. It’s a rehash of what “Dr. Laura” spouts on her radio show, and reads as if it were written stream-of-consciousness-style in about the same amount of time as it takes to read.
More importantly, it is all the things she claims it isn’t. [...]
“Dr. Laura” is free to do what she pleases to add to her fortune, of course, but it saddens me that she has to be intentionally cruel to some of the most vulnerable members of society to earn a buck.
You know what is so awesome about Dr. Laura? She’s so sure of herself! It’s important to be sure of yourself especially if you’re going to go on full-court attack of other moms who can’t or WON’T make the correct choices in life. I mean, some of her advice is just so helpful like how if you leave your kid in daycare they will turn out to be vicious and amoral because they were “raised by other kids” and it’s JUST LIKE LORD OF THE FLIES! Oh my God, I never realized that! I must immediately alert all of my friends who have children in daycare that their children are in for a nice long prison sentence. And hey, if they don’t want to hear it from me, I’ll just buy them this book! But while I’m at it, I’ll be sure to get them her old books too. Especially the one that states that women who live with a man first are nothing more than “shack up honeys.” And I’ll be sure to let my husband of six years and my three children know that their mother is nothing more than that. Although, where’s the book about how it’s a great idea to pose for nudie pics and have them leaked to the press? I guess that’s just part of being a good mom to Dr. Laura. I guess I have a lot to learn. Luckily I have her book to guide me.
Laura Schlessinger is not a licensed psychologist. She has no business writing under the name “Doctor” unless she is writing a book on human physiology. That’s what her degree is in. She is misrepresenting herself to the public as a doctor of psychology, and if she were licensed, she would be breaking the code of ethics for psychologists which specifically prohibits the misrepresentation of your degree or qualifications to the public. Shame on her.
Dr. Laura strikes again, with a celebration of the contribution Moms make when they choose home versus the marketplace. And, she is a wonderful advocate. Mothers who invest in their families create a legacy which is incredibly positive. But that is just half of the story. It is also highly possible that Moms at Home can be powerhouses in increasing the wealth of their families, while maintaining their fulltime commitment to their kids.
A roadmap that presents the other side of that equation is presented in Megan Basham’s book: Beside Every Successful Man, also available on Amazon – you can see my review there. She presents options, both exciting and practical, which are available to Moms at Home to enhance the earning power of their family partnership.
I realize this may make me sound like a shill – I am not; but, I am definitely a fan of both books.
Frank Wright