“I suppose I only really learned about choice when I chose to devote more of my time to a life I had previously misunderstood and undervalued: that is, when I became a mom.”
Anna Quindlen shares her thoughts on the value of being a mom, a role that many of us in our religion and culture highly esteem. However, that’s not the prevailing view in the rest of the world. With the Women’s Movement recently, the view of women has changed, and their roles are looked at differently.
Many women now view success as having a high-paying career and being high up in a company, or just having their own life and career without relying on others, especially a man. The family unit is valued less, and the role of a mother is looked upon as unimportant, unrewarding, and un-enjoyable.
I love how Quindlen talks about being a stay-at-home-mom as being “The Noble Thing”, as seen by women in the world. I think there’s truth in that – being a mom is a noble and important role. But what I especially love about this essay is that it talks about the enjoyment of being a mom. Yes, motherhood is difficult and demanding, and like Quindlen says, includes a lot of cleaning up of messes, but it is enjoyable and fulfilling. That is the message that needs to get out to women. Being a great mom is the absolute best thing a woman can do with her life, not just because it’s a required and noble role, but because the best things in life will come from family.
I appreciated this piece as well because it addressed motherhood in a positive light and I agree with you as you stated "the best things in life will come from family." Motherhood is definitely important because the family is important.
ReplyDeleteI really liked what you said. My personal opinion is that mothers can work outside of the home and be amazing moms at the same time, but you argued the paper's and your point nicely.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this article. It shows that being a mother does not mean giving up the noble things in life. I also really liked how she was a feminist who still believed in having kids. Those are the kinds of stories that I love to hear.
ReplyDeleteI love to read about the importance and worth of being a mother. I wrote a paper in Japanese about the same subject for a competition in high school. It's so refreshing to find people in today's society who view motherhood as such a positive thing. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that the world should hear the message of the importance of motherhood. Imagine if every mother put their all into raising their children. The world would be such a better place. I know there are certain circumstances when women have to work, but if every woman who could, stayed home and spent their time raising thier children, it would fix a lot of problems in the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that some people need to understand the importance motherhood has in a child's life. A mom can make or break the child. Based on the love and affection the child gets, the attention they receive and the type of parenting the mother provides. I think that many mothers can do an amazing job raising children and working at the same time. But, many children would be raised better if they could have a good mother who put time and effort into raising their kids.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to realize how much sacrifice is needed to be a stay at home. It makes me look up to my mom even more. Life offers so much, and it's going to be hard to be decline but I know that if I want to make a difference in the world the best way is by raising a child properly. And if I dare say, if there's one thing the world needs most, it's proper up-bringing, especially the men... no offense.
ReplyDeleteBeing Mormon, we definitely have a unique perspective on women, motherhood, and the family.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, I love the new perspective on motherhood.
ReplyDeleteI love to hear such praise for the hard work of a mother, it is always great to hear that appreciation for such an honorable and rewarding position.
ReplyDeleteFantastic article, I'm really glad I got to respond to it.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to hear praise for a mother in a world where it is often viewed as a very inglorious task.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the importance of nobleness of being a mom. It's in two different catergories of hard work when your'e comparing hard workering women and mothers. THey're both very respectable.
ReplyDelete