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Ms. Walsh -
Thanks for a great article. I'm still trying to figure out who are these women who can afford to stay at home to raise their children. I personally know very few women who can afford this luxury, especially in these times of rising gas prices and high mortgages. The only women who can afford this type of lifestyle would be those who have married high paid hubbies, or don't mind living "low on the hog".
That Ms. Flanagan is a hypocrite is alright with me. Few people could really believe that a woman who had nannies and "cleaners" is really a stay-at-home mom in the traditional sense. It's obvious that her income as a writer, as well as that of her husband, allowed her to work from her home while raising her children via babysitters/nannies.
In the real world, most of us women have to work. It's simply not a choice. And, as a child whose mother worked, I can't say that I was deprived of motherly love. In fact, my mother's example of getting up everyday and working hard (along with her equally hardworking husband) has helped me to fulfill my own career goals, while being married. My mother showed me by working outside the home (and inside the home as a Day Care Provider) that women don't have to depend on men and that we can contribute equally to the household.
The 50s are over. They're not coming back for the majority of us. Ms. Flanagan, as-a-pretended-work-at-home mom, understands that well. She's just in denial.
