Good Morning America has reen running a series, "The Mommy Wars." Full article here. One of their guests was Linda Hirschman, a law professor/working mom who wrote an article about working mothers in 2005 for American Prospect Magazine. She states that "an alarming number of college-educated women are leaving the work force to stay at home and raise their children, a trend that is a tragedy not only for mothers, but ultimately their children and women as a whole."

She goes on to say choosing to stay home is bad for women. "A good life for humans includes the classical standard of using one's capacities for speech and reason in a prudent way, the liberal requirement of having enough autonomy to direct one's own life, and the utilitarian test of doing more good than harm in the world," Hirshman wrote. "Measured against these time-tested standards, the expensively educated, upper-class moms will be leading lesser lives."

"Statistically there is no difference in the happiness levels of the children whose mothers work and the children whose mothers stay at home," she says.

What on earth?! I don't need statistics to tell me that my child WILL benefit from being raised by her parent, be it mother or father. I don't need statistics to tell me that staying at home to raise my child WILL make my child happy, content and secure.

And who is this woman to say that "a good life for humans includes the classical standard of using one's capacities for speech and reason in a prudent way." Look, lady. Maybe MY idea of a good life is staying home and playing patty-cake with my daughter, taking her to the playground and going to mommy-and-me classes. And so do I lose my capacity for speech and reason by not having intellectual conversations? Since it's not used in a prudent way is it meaningless? A lesser life? You got some nerve, woman.

Raising a child is THE toughest job a woman, or man, can do. It is an awesome responsibility that does not end at 5 pm. It is a 24/7 job, with overtime and on-call duties. To actually be the person responsible for molding and directing a totally impressionable mind--it can be an overwhelming task. Creating my child to be a morally-conscious, disciplined, joyous human IS a job that DOES NOT have detrimental consequences for myself or my daughter if I'm a working mom or a stay-at home mom.

Right now, my husband is staying home with our daughter but soon we will be switching. Daddies leaving the workforce is a trend happening across America and it made sense for our family. We made the priority of one of us to be home with her at all times. We wanted the same faith and morals that WE had to be passed on to her. We did not want to drop her off at day care or rely on a babysitter to instill these values. But my beliefs still are the same, even if I am not the parent staying home.

I hate to go to work. I just adore that little girl and every morning I say good-bye to her my heart just melts. But it makes me feel good knowing that my husband, her daddy, will be with her all day. It's what works for us, and that's what counts. If you're a woman who just couldn't stand to be home all day--WORK! If you can't stand to be away from your kids--STAY HOME! And don't feel guilty about the choices you make. Decide to do what's best for your family and your child. Don't let studies and "experts" dictate how you run your lives and raise your child.

Any opinions???