‘Backlash’ Story

I agree with Suzanne Southworth. The “Super Mom” concept is a myth. So why do you continue pursuing it? Is it because it makes you feel good or because it allows you to pay your baby-sitter enough so that she’ll be able to pay her baby-sitter?

When my son was born 14 years ago, I put my teaching career on hold. It paled in comparison to the significance of motherhood. I saw no reason to juggle the demands of both, giving only frazzled parts of myself to each and in the process shoving my husband totally off the priority list. I saw no economic reason to work just to push us into a higher income tax bracket and be able to afford baby-sitters and a professional wardrobe. I did not check my identity at the labor room door, but rather welcomed an added dimension to it.

The bonds I enjoy with my 14-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, and the committed relationship I enjoy with my husband tell me I haven’t shortchanged my family. Creating a healthy emotional household is the most challenging and rewarding work I will ever know.

As a society, if we are to nurture our children, we must not swallow the other myth, that being “just a homemaker” is degrading and unfulfilling.

SALLY JOHN

San Diego