I had the opportunity to read Kim Brooks’ take on motherhood during the COVID-19 pandemic in The New York Times.
Her point is illustrated well, and she makes the case that mothers should receive compensation for their work during this crisis.
If no one is bringing in money for the household except the government, Brooks argues, then the mother should be paid something for her efforts to raise the children.
I understand.
But I disagree.
Brooks points out that “staying home to raise children is one of the most devastating financial decisions a woman can make.”
What she calls a “devastating decision,” I call an investment.
I grew up the last of four boys in a busy home in Southern Ohio. My father worked and brought home a modest income, while my mom “worked” even harder to take care of us. And we were a handful. We all played sports, and Mom always made sure our stomachs were full and our laundry was clean. We never went without.
Looking back over the years, I cannot recall her ever mentioning that her decision to stay home to raise her sons was “devastating.”
She had a career at one time and almost died from a car accident while driving back from a midnight shift when I was only 2. After that, she stayed home to raise her children. I never heard her complain about being a stay-at-home mother and raising her kids into young men. If she did, it wasn’t in front of us.
I know she viewed it as an honor and obligation, because she and Dad made the decision to have a family.
When my wife and I had children, our motivation was certainly not financial.
If it is, then mothers need to consider the ramifications of having kids before they go forward. Raising a family is an enormous financial obligation and commitment.
It is not a reason to earn a paycheck from the government.
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I read through Brooks’ piece a few times and could understand the logic of her argument, and I appreciate her viewpoint.
But I never once read the words I use to describe mothers and caregivers.
David Adams
Article URL : https://www.westernjournal.com/nyt-columnist-goes-full-marxist-feminist-call-moms-paid/?