Mother's Little Helper

When people talk about stay-at-home moms these days it’s usually in the context of an emotionally charged debate about the roles of women in today’s society. It’s like people can’t just accept the fact that staying at home is a valid choice with advantages and disadvantages just like every other life decision women make for themselves. And like all lifestyle choices, it’s not for everyone and that’s okay too. This doesn’t need to be controversial. Despite the purposely contentious message of certain books that have garnered the media’s attention, mothers who stay home are not undermining the feminist movement and the mothers who do work are not destroying the moral fabric of our society.


That’s why I find fellow GCC member, Alana Morales’ book Domestically Challenged: A Working Mom's Survival Guide to Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom so refreshing. To be honest, I’m always a little nervous when a GCC member comes out with a book because I’m afraid I won’t like it. Of course no one’s asking me to recommend their books to you. As I’ve said before, all I have to do is tell you they exist. Still, I’d like to be able to pimp them in good conscious. I can definitely do that with this book. It doesn’t attempt to tell you that you’re evil if you’re unwilling to give up your job for the sake of your kids. Nor does it wax poetic about how beautiful and spiritually fulfilling it is to be with your kids all day long. In fact it was her aversion to those books that inspired Morales to write her book to begin with. In an interview she said:

“When I was looking for books about being an at home mom, I found a lot that were either religious or talked about my spiritual journey through motherhood. It was 3:00 in the afternoon and my kids and I were still in our pajamas. I needed to know how to manage running the house full time, not a spiritual pep talk.”

The reality is that going from being a career woman to being a full time mother is a huge adjustment. You have to budget your time differently, prioritize differently and in the most general terms, reorganize your life. I’m not saying that one lifestyle is harder than the other, I’ve tried both and know for a fact that both are equally challenging; they’re just very different.

Morales gets this. When asked what she wants moms to get out of her book she said:

I want them to find ways to make their lives as an at home mom easier. I want the book to act as a model of support for moms who are new to being at home and are having trouble adjusting. I want them to know that they aren’t alone in what they are experiencing and feeling.

Anyway I strongly recommend that you check out her book and definitely check out her website. In addition to writing books Morales also has her own parenting humor column and I have never managed to read her blog without giggling.

Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
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