Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

In corporate circles, people may not understand your choice to stay home with your children. Some mothers struggle with establishing their identity outside of the workplace. Today on Home School Heartbeat, Mike Smith talks about defining your life at home.

Mike Smith:
U.S. Census Bureau data reveals that more and more moms are deciding to stay home to raise their children. Yet, they still face pressures and opposition from those who demand that all women strive to attain what they deem "equal" footing with men.


One former career woman, Danielle Crittenden, left her job as a successful Washington, DC journalist to raise her children at home. She says stay-at-home moms often feel a loss of identity when they leave the workforce and have difficulty explaining their new job to people still climbing the corporate ladder.


Part of the problem stay-at-home moms face is a misunderstanding of equality. Today, the term "equal" is often confused with egalitarianism, which requires women to find self-esteem in performing the same tasks as men. But as Alexis de Tocqueville, the early 19th-century author, said in his work Democracy in America, true equality means moving at equal pace down individual paths. This understanding of equality is helpful for stay-at-home moms. A job in the corporate workforce should not be elevated above motherhood. The two cannot be compared.


Mothers looking for encouragement in coming home can turn to homeschooling moms and the trail that they have blazed. Their work to validate homeschooling in the public eye has fostered greater acceptance of stay-at-home moms and the job they do.


Moms, you deserve commendation for fighting the battle for true equality. Until next time, I'm Mike Smith.