by Pamela Kay

Created on: February 19, 2008

Several decades have passed since stay at home moms have received the recognition they so richly deserve. Not since the start of the Baby Boom Era, has the necessity of the stay at home mom been viewed as an important contributing factor in the health and well-being of society.

This was the generation that questioned everything and fought for equality and rights for all. That it had always been done a certain way, was not a good reason for this generation. We had the world by the tail and we wanted to change it: and change it we did.

Too late did we realize the repercussions of some of the changes we sought. Our values changed and we failed to comprehend the value of the stay at home mom, who was the very heart of the home. Now that the stay at home mom is nearly extinct, we suddenly see her value. Had we seen and recognized it sooner, perhaps we could have saved our children from the world they have inherited.

Then
High school was the most expected of a girl and then she was to marry and begin life as a homemaker. She was expected to be modestly attired and chaste until marriage. She seldom drank, smoked or cussed, as these habits were not desirable in a woman.

She was the primary care giver of the children, and the one responsible for preparing nutritious meals for the family. She did the shopping for both food and clothing and accompanied the children to dentist and doctor appointments.

She checked the homework, went to PTA meetings, got to know teachers, friends and parents of friends. She was the one to keep in touch with the grandparents or to be their caregiver if they lived with the family.

She scheduled home repairs, dealt with the repairmen, and cleaned the home. She assigned chores to the children, taught them proper hygiene, respect for others and the importance of manners. In short, she was the hub, so to speak, of all family activities and needs. However, we never placed much value on her because she was not the breadwinner. She dwelt, always, in the shadow of a man.

Now
Today, she walks in the sun, shadowed by no one. She is more educated now than ever in history. She is no longer required to take only menial jobs; she can now have a successful career in any field she chooses to pursue. She has been to college and has often put off marriage and having children to a later age. No longer is she required to marry, just to be accepted by society as a success with value.

However, we ask at what cost has she gained the value she desperately needed and should

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