Week 10

Growing up, my mom was always a stay-at-home mom. My dad was the main provider for the family. He is always very careful with his money and keeps up with a budget well. When I was younger my mom would spend a lot of time doing things with me, my brother, and later, my sister. We would go to the park almost every week, do crafts with the supplies in her craft box, bake, and so on. Now that I'm older I can see just how much work and time my mom invested into running our house and raising us. My dad worked swing shifts at his job and so we would see him about every other week and sometimes a little in between. When he was home he would rough-house with us, read books to us, play baseball in the backyard with us, and so on.

When I was a senior in high school, my mom got a job. My youngest brother was still in elementary school at the time. Since I never had to worry about my mom going to work when I was growing up, I have seen the contrast between my childhood and my youngest brother's. When I got home from school, I always knew my mom would be waiting there with some snacks. I was able to spend the rest of my day playing outside with my friends because my mom was there to keep an eye on me. These days, my mom tries to be home from work by the time my younger brother gets home from school; but often that is not the case. When she has shifts later in the day, my brother has to stay inside and watch TV or play video games until she gets home because he is not allowed to play outside without someone keeping an eye on him. Even though my mom is not a stay-at-home mom anymore, she still is able to provide for my siblings in a way that wasn't available to me when I was younger, however. I always wanted to play basketball or baseball but I didn't have the opportunity because my parents couldn't afford it at the time. Now my youngest brother can try out whatever sport he wants because the funds have been made available. Both of my parents still try to spend as much time as they can with us despite their busy schedules and this is one of the most important things to my siblings and I.

Every family is different and they can choose what is best for their own situation. It wasn't really necessary for my mom to get a job, but because she did my siblings had a little extra cushion for activities and sports they wanted to try out. I have the help that I need to get through college without going into debt. One thing that is becoming more of an issue in society these days is the idea that stay-at-home parents aren't as important or don't contribute as much as the providing parent. This is not true. In some cases, parents are not able to stay home with their children for financial reasons. In others, both parents choose to have jobs because they enjoy them and have ambitions. Every family is different and has different methods that work for them. However, we should not let society undervalue stay-at-home parents. The most important work that can be done on this earth is in the home.

"Some have tried to convince us of the importance of family work by calling attention to its economic value, declaring, as in one recent study, that a stay-at-home mom’s work is worth more than half a million dollars. But I believe assigning economic value to household work does not translate into an increase in its status or power. In fact, devaluing family work to its mere market equivalent may even have the opposite effect. People who see the value of family work only in terms of the economic value of processes that yield measurable products–washed dishes, baked bread, swept floors, clothed children–miss what some call the “invisible household production” that occurs at the same time, but which is, in fact, more important to family-building and character development than the economic products. Here lies the real power of family work–its potential to transform lives, to forge strong families, to build strong communities. It is the power to quietly, effectively urge hearts and minds toward a oneness known only in Zion" ("Family Work"--BYU Magazine).

Even parents who are not able to stay home with their children can still achieve Zion in their homes by making the family their biggest priority. Whether you work or not, it is important to spend time with your children and help them to learn and grow. If we do this with faith, the Lord will help us make up the difference financially.