Is it a waste of brains to be a stay-at-home Wife and Mother?
I have a friend who is getting married. She is very intelligent and has been taking post-secondary education for the past two years in pursuit of a professional occupation. In the middle of this time she met the love of her life. Recently she has decided not to continue her education. Some people are supportive and some are very disappointed.
Reasons not to continue:
*By the time she is finished her education she wants to be having children.
*She wants to be a stay-at-home mother and wife so she can raise her own children and care for her husband.
*The profession she was pursuing requires a certain number of hours to keep your license so she couldn't just go back to it eventually.
*There is a possibility with the jobs her and her husband are pursuing that they could 'tag team', having one at home while the other is working and visa versa, but that is not the marital relationship (or lack of) that they want.
So, the question again. Is is a waste of brains for her to 'quit' school with the expectation of eventually being a stay-at-home Wife and Mother?
The ONLY correlation of how well children do in school is the education level on the mother. If she wants kids, and wants to encourage learning in them, then finishing school helps them. If for some reason she has no concern over how well her children do in school, then more power to her.
ReplyDeletesorry, that's suppose to say 'of the mother.'
ReplyDeleteMy answer to your question is no. It's never a waste to be a stay at home mom. And education has very little to do with formal schooling. There are so many resources available that she will have no problem continuing to learn and grow (as we all should) whether she is in formal schooling or not. I think it's a bit oversimpistic to say that the more formal schooling she has the better her kids will do in school. Not sure where that data actually comes from. That's my two cents worth...
ReplyDeleteWhat fortunate children this woman will have to have a mom that spends time with them all day during their formative years. I believe that time spent with our children is more valuable than the level of formal education that we possess. If one must be chosen, time supersedes education. The biggest of all regrets parents have is the lack of time spent with their kids. Need I say more?
ReplyDelete"The ONLY correlation of how well children do in school is the education level on the mother."
ReplyDeleteI disagree with this statement. As a former teacher, there are an abundance of other factors that affect how well a child does in school.
For example, studies show that children learn better in the morning hours rather than the afternoon. Children’s attention and learning ability increases if they’ve eaten a balanced breakfast. Children with ADD/ADHD learn better if allowed to doodle during lessons/lectures. Children who learn to play the piano at a young age score 40% higher in math. All of these things effect how well you do in school.
Not only that, there is SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE than how you do in school!! When you are 30 years old, no one really cares if you can name all the provincial capitals or know when to use effect or affect.
They do care if you can manage your time, read and write, tie your shoes, make friends, understand how to deal with stress, organize your life etc… Those are all things you learn from your parents, not in a classroom.
Knowing that your mother has chosen to give up or postpone other goals (such as higher education) because she loves you and wants to be there for you, (rather than working hard to pay someone else to be with you all day), is priceless. Nothing can replace that kind of love and security. Not even straight A’s.
Joanne says: I chose post-secondary education, In looking back I would have loved to have had the option of being a stay at home Mom. Circumstances only God could know(death of my spouse) forced me to continue in the workforce to support my children and myself. Thankfully I had pursued post-secondary ed. as I was able to work part-time at a good paying job instead of many hours at mimimum wage. It was a great back-up. I still got to spend many hours with my 3 children and we were able to live comfortably.
ReplyDelete