Work and Family

Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe recently wrote about Terry Hekker, a woman who chose to stay home and raise a family instead of pursuing a career. A radical idea to me since I always felt the need to work and provide for society and not burden the world with more mouths to feed. But back to Terry, a mother of five who championed the housewife and mother lifestyle for many years. The rest of the story is that on her 40th wedding anniversary she was handed divorce papers. Out in the cold, cruel world she found herself treated like some "outdated kitchen appliances." Her new income made her eligible for food stamps. Something similar happened to my mother. So that is why my life was career-minded and childless. I saw first hand the pain of being abandoned in a culture that sees dollar signs and doesn't value enough the nurturing their young. So 25 years after singing the praises of being a stay at home mom, Terry Hekker wishes she had done something to make herself more marketable in the workplace. And I, more than 5 years after I had to medically retire, wish I had spent less time preparing for my career, and more time with my Mom.