You shouldn't be a part time mommy.

[enki23]

What I've posted above is an article by one of the main writers for the Louisiana State University campus "alternative" newspaper, which is strongly associated with the fraternity and sorority system. When you're reading it, remember... this may be a fairly controversial bit of writing even here, but not *that* controversial. And this is the more educated version of the opinion. Sort of. Standards are low down here.

You shouldn’t be a part time mommy.
by Tim Farmer
http://www.tigerweekly.com/article2766.html

We can all remember being asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My answer to this has changed more than John Kerry’s answers to his questions, but a discouraging trend that I’ve begun to notice amongst bright and educated females is a lack of the response “homemaker.” Now before I start this assault on part-time motherhood let me make it clear that I am in no way intending this as a sexist or demeaning opinion. I think that women are equal to and even better than men at many things in life; I do firmly believe however that while equals, we have different roles, especially in parenting.

During World War II the men of our country had to leave home and fight our opposition forcing the women into the workforce to hold up our economy. As the war ended and the men came back most of the women returned home to keep things in order there while the men resumed their previous work. There were some stubborn women however who decided that perhaps they liked their new found job better or, which I believe is the case in most instances, that it was easier than being in charge of running the home and taking care of the children. That day attention starved, day care raised children were born. These women’s selfish decision has snowballed and now led to a dark age where children leave and return to empty homes before and after school...

Some might wonder why these responsibilities must fall on the wife and not the husband. My answer would be that it doesn’t have to necessarily, but in most cases it would be safe to say that the natural nurturing side that a Mother is gifted with makes her much better suited for the job. While this is not so in all cases and perhaps a husband and wife will find it agreeable for the man to stay home, but it didn’t work out so well in the film “Mr. Mom.” We need only to look at the animal kingdom around us, the mother is always the nurturer while the father is the provider, it is isn’t being sexist to say such a thing, it is just a force of nature.

http://www.tigerweekly.com/article2766.html

I've just finished my last final as a graduate student at Louisiana State University. (MS in environmental toxicology)

This isn't from a major paper, it's from LSU. The writer is a nobody, except perhaps in his small pond. Maybe he'll have a radio show someday. Today, he's a good example of where their insanity comes from. There is something wrong here, and I can't help but assume this is the particular cancer that's invaded the entire south and west, and is currently metastasizing to the northern climes. I'm leaving, moving in a month to another part of the state, and a year later I will leave for good.

The web forum associated with this paper currently has a thread titled "liberals are destroying america," and they mean it. I'm not sure how they think we're doing it, really, except in that we seem to be making their god angry at them. Welcome a world I've learned to passionately hate. I came to the south curious, and a little excited. I will leave the south as soon as I can, and look back only with horror, and relief.

[trotsky]

1. "but it didn’t work out so well in the film 'Mr. Mom.'"

Good fucking grief. A fictional comedy movie is supposed to serve as an example to support his case???

Somebody needs to remind Mr. Neanderthal that MANY species in nature have both parents, OR just the father, being nuturers. The male seahorse comes to mind.

[enki23]

5. yeah... natural law and bad cinema make for compelling arguments

of course, his natural law is even shallower than the usual, and he couldn't even find a good soundbite from the movie script. shame.

Jack Butler: Wanna beer?
Ron Richardson: It's 7 o'clock in the morning.
Jack Butler: Scotch?
--from "mr mom"

you know, it seems to be a strange reference for a college kid to make anyway. i vaguely, *very* vaguely remember seeing that movie on somebody's betamax machine (maybe it was vhs, i don't remember for certain) as a young kiddie. i'm thirty now, and surely a few older than your average campus newspaper editorialist. it's not like it's a memorable movie...

[trotsky]

6. I remember the scene where he holds the baby over the hand dryer.

That's about it. Hopefully someday this mentality will be found only in museums, right between "Cro-Magnon Man" and "Chimpanzee".

[FizzFuzz]

8. some female spiders kill and eat the male after mating

This guy needs an introduction.

[vi5]

2. Well if he wants to talk about what women did during WWII...

..let him. Then we can talk about what the men did. Which was sign up and fight in the military. Something tells me his longing for the good old days is selective though.

[Caoimhe]

3. WOW

All I can say is WOW. Amazing that some people are still this backwards. Unfortunately I think many Repukes feel that way, men AND women. Of course Repuke women tend to be shadows of their husbands, echoing his thoughts and feelings, content not to be burdened with that thing called "thinking for ones self".

This is 2005, some people apparently have not noticed.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Oh, I bet his Mom is so pleased that she raised such an idiot!

"In closing I say a woman has to make a choice to either be a full time mom or a full time worker because it is impossible to be both at the same time."

And I say a man has to make a choice to either be a full time dad or a full time worker because it is impossible to be both at the same time. Guess this guy isn't buying into the 'go forth and multiply' of the RW! Let's promote this stuff ... you can only choose one! Then maybe we can still save some open green space from urban sprawl. Why is motherhood a full time job but fatherhood is all about the dad coming home and being 'cheerful and happy"?

[kineneb]

7. tell Nug to take the club and go home

Apparently this Australopithecus Aferensis has not figured out that most women work because they have to. Incomes have not kept up with costs, and the minimum wage does not support an individual, much less a family. Just ask me, with two of us living on my $10/hr/no benies.

And sorry to any Australopithecines I may have insulted.

[salin]

9. So does it do the impossible

and make you miss Iowa? ;-)

[enki23]

11. nothing impossible about that

and yes, i do. enough that i plan to apply to the med school there this fall. not my first choice though. ;-)

[shrike]

10. My sister has an executive-level job

and is one of the best mothers I know. Her three kids are smart, terrific and fun to be around, not that I'm prejudiced. This idea that the woman must stay home to be a good mom is nonsense. (BTW, my stepdaughter chose to be a homemaker and is mother-extraordinaire.)

[alarimer]

12. Who does this guy think he is?

As if he were qualified to know anything on this subject. Aside from the fact that a lot (maybe most) families need two incomes, a lot of recent studies indicate that having a mother who works is NOT bad for children. Quite the opposite in fact.

[LeftyMom]

13. I agree that children should have a loving caregiver

I wish we had a system that paid for women to stay home until thier babies are older as most European countries do. Once a child is weaned during the day, I don't see why the at-home caregiver has to be the mother, it could as easily be the father or a grandparent.

Daycare blows though, it's like factory farming for small humans.