"Any woman can be a mother, but not ever woman can be successful"
That was what I heard growing up, because in order to be really happy and succeed in life you had to have a career.
Why would you want to become a mum, it would mean the end of all your freedom and your dreams and anyone who had children early were seen as failures.
When I was younger I knew I would one day want to be a mother, but it was something I kept to myself. It was a time when all you heard, was how women fought so long and so hard in order for us to finally be able to have rights, to be seen as equals. How could any one girl want to go against that. So I grew up believing that women’s rights were all about equality, being treated exactly the same as men, having the same privileges, getting the same pay. That women's rights were based around taking them way from the home and liberating them. As a teenager that all sounded so exciting, because why would any woman want to spend their time at home when they could be free.
How did we get to this point, where women were and still are valued by their contributions to the workforce. That when we talk about empowered women in society we see this:
From a young age, girls are told to reach for the stars, that they can do whatever they want. They are pushed to do well in school, to study hard to aim for university and high paid jobs. They are told that they can do the same as any boy and that they can have the same success. Yet they are not being told about one of the most rewarding and challenging things that they can do, (if they choose to of course) motherhood. Young people are being taught that there is no value in being a mother. It's as if society wants to ignore the fact that women become mothers. That by becoming a mother you lose your power as a woman.
Surely educating young people about the importance of being parents is what matters. Surely raising the future generations to be confident, loving and aware is what matters the most. Yet when a mother decides to stay at home to raise her children, people feel sorry for her, like she is losing out, wasting her talents or else they feel she is lazy. I am not saying that women, mothers should not work, that is a very personal choice that only a woman can and should make. But what is society teaching our children when powerful, successful women are always portrayed as having a career.
For me, I tapped into my power when I was pregnant, I realized that all the feminist ideas, all these womens rights and equality, that were fought for, were missing out on what it really means to be a women.
Whether you have children or not, we woman are nurturers. We create life, ideas and we nurture them, watch them, guide them as they grow. This is what society needs the most today.
Source: http://motherhoodinpointoffact.com
I chose to be a stay at home mum, for me that is the greatest thing I can do for my children. And if I'm being honest it's also the greatest thing for me too. I realize that I am very lucky that I can do this. I get to see my daughters grow up, I get to watch how excited they are when the figure things out for themselves and we all get to learn together.
So what is my value now that I am a mother?
In society not much, but you know what I don't care!