The Feminine Mistake

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

Why on earth anyone would want to stay at home full time with a bunch of children is beyond me. I was the stay at home component of our family while I was in undergrad. Believe me, that was the only time that I ever looked forward to going to class. I love my daughter, but there is no way that I would willingly spend a 60 hour week at home alone with a baby, and from most of the others that I have spoken with, it is not a particularly pleasant experience.
If a significant amount of time at home can be balanced with something such as a part time job, volunteer work, or more schooling, enough to keep the adult feeling like a productive, non-isolated member of society then it is not a bad thing, I suppose. Finding a balance can make the time that parent and child spend together more enjoyable and productive.

Historically this is not the way things worked. People lived with their extended family and child-rearing was a group activity.

The phenomenon of a woman raising her children in relative isolation is new.