Apparently, people think because I started a blog called Working Moms Against Guilt, I must be some kind of expert on the topic.
But really, any mom who’s had kids for a while could probably speak intelligently on the issue. We all face guilt. Some of us may deal with it in more productive or positive ways than others.
Nonetheless! You might enjoy this Q&A with me by Tracy Ormsbee, who runs the Parent to Parent Blog for the Times-Union newspaper of Albany, NY.
Here’s a little taste of our exchange:
Q: Women have been in the work force for a long time now. These days, it’s almost impossible for a family not to have both parents working. And you’ve even been blogging about it for six years now. Why haven’t we figured out yet how to not be guilty?
A: Women have always been in the work force. I don’t know that women felt guilty for working. It sort of came in the ’70s, with the women-can-do-it-all movement. In some ways, it was really good, because it broke a lot of barriers and stereotypes. But at the same time, charging ahead full force with all these things, they had the expectations that they still had to be a perfect mom. There are studies about women in the ’60s; compared with today, they spent way less time with their kids. We sort of charged forward with so many hopes and dreams, but also so many expectations for ourselves.
For more of my mommy guilt “expertise” (teehee), read the article over at the Times-Union website.