In Praise of Stay at Home Moms

In Praise of Stay at Home Moms

They number in the millions and they are incredibly important to families and to our society, yet they are underappreciated, little respected, and even controversial.

Who are they?

They are the stay-at-home moms.

These are women who know in their hearts that staying home to raise their children is the right choice for the whole family. Some do it from the outset of their marriages, while others make the difficult transition from career-driven women to homemakers. Either way, it is a choice that is incredibly rich and rewarding, not to mention challenging.

Now Dr. Laura, building on principles developed during her long career as a licensed marriage and family therapist, provides a wealth of advice and support, as well as compassion and inspiration, to women as they navigate the wonders and struggles of being stay-at-home moms.

Learn how:

• to hold your head high and deal with naysayers;
• to see the benefits of being home not only for your children but also for your marriage;
• to understand the changes you see in yourself;
• to realize that the sacrifices you endure now will make for lasting bonds and a stronger family, in addition to a more cohesive community.

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms is a special book, a profound and unique understanding of how important it is for mothers to raise their own children.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Disingenuous play for controversy and $$$$
For starters, it’s a poorly written book, repetitive and pedestrian. It’s a rehash of what “Dr. Laura” spouts on her radio show, and reads as if it were written stream-of-consciousness-style in about the same amount of time as it takes to read.

More importantly, it is all the things she claims it isn’t. She says she isn’t trying to ignite the “mommy wars,” yet that is clearly her intent. She is desperately trying to ignite controversy, the flames of which she fans nonstop on the radio show, in an effort to make some big cash from the book. I don’t think she believes very much of what she says or writes; it’s all a persona that she has carefully crafted as a way to earn enough money to support herself and her expensive lifestyle.

“Dr. Laura” is free to do what she pleases to add to her fortune, of course, but it saddens me that she has to be intentionally cruel to some of the most vulnerable members of society to earn a buck.

1 Star A Choice of One’s Own
Women have struggled to gain respect and equality in the workplace AND at home AND within themselves. After all that, it is clear that it is no one’s business to say one woman’s choice is morally superior to another woman’s. One mother’s choice to work while raising children may not work for another who chose to stay home and raise her children. The POINT is that it is one’s choice. A happy mom = happy children. Disgruntled mom = insecure children.

5 Stars A Compelling and Affirming Read for any SAHM or Potential SAHM
As an author who writes extensively about motherhood and family life and as the stay-at-home mom of five children (ages 6 to 19), this book became a must-read as soon as I heard about it.

Laura Schlessinger is definitely outspoken and, for the most part, you will agree with her or not. As a SAHM for the last 15 years, I agree with about 90% of what she has to say in this book (I do not agree with her version of the husband coming home to simply relax after work. When my husband comes home, we work side by side until we can both take a break; after all, I’ve been working all day too).

Dr. Laura’s book is filled with compelling arguments for being a SAHM. She doesn’t use nameless faceless statistics or mass surveys to support her arguments. Rather, she uses the engaging and relevant personal stories and experiences of many stay-at-home moms to make her case.

SAHMs and future/potential SAHMs will appreciate the points she makes on many fronts. Among them, she affirms that being a SAHM is a wonderful use of our intellect (a nice contrast to those who suggest we are wasting our minds by staying home; what an odd thing to say about spending real time with your children), that true quality time can only really come from quantity time (in other words, quality time doesn’t necessarily occur on demand during specified time periods), and that there is, in effect, nothing like a mother’s love out there in the world.

I think it’s important to note that Dr. Laura doesn’t say in her book that moms should never, ever work while raising their families. Rather, she says that such decisions of if, when, and how to work should be very carefully thought through as children benefit far more from having their mom around than they do from the best paid (or unpaid) childcare around.

I appreciate the job she does of advocating for happy motherhood in her book (she does not condone whining). To this end, she encourages SAHMs to use their intellect and creativity to make the most of home and family life and gives some great reminders for taking care of ourselves through exercise, getting enough sleep, and taking time off to replenish and pursue our personal interests.

As for me, some days are better than others, but overall, I love being a stay-at-home mom. I am an 18-month survivor of ovarian cancer and I give thanks for every day I have with my children. When I lay in a hospital bed recovering from cancer surgery, I can assure you that I had no thoughts of wanting to spend time away from my children in pursuit of a profession (I’m a CPA and former corporate controller). In fact, just about the only thing I could think about is how much I want to be here with them. Thanks to Dr. Laura’s book, I am more encouraged than ever to make the most of being a stay-at-home mom to my children. This book would serve as a great boost for any SAHM and future SAHM.–Debra Woods, author of “It’s Okay to Take a Nap: and Other Reassuring Truths for Mothers Everywhere”

1 Star This has to be a joke….
Let me understand….

Dr. Laura is preaching morality? Isn’t this the same person who has nude photos of herself with a married man (not Dr. L’s husband!) all over the internet?

Wow. The hypocrisy is simply stunning.

Serious question, who would want to take moral direction from this author?

1 Star Not a Real-Life, 2009 Book - HOW DARE SHE!
I was appalled to see Dr. Laura on the Today Show promoting this book. HOW DARE SHE imply that working mothers are selfish and should stay at home! I worked hard for my degrees - B.S. in Education, M.S. in Literacy, so I am a very educated person. The decision to be a working mom was an educated, well-thought out one. I want to give my children every possible opportunity and in 2009, that can only be done on 2 salaries. We live in a moderate house, and drive moderate cars. We do, (GASP!) enjoy going out for meals with our children and taking them on vacations. We do not over-indulge them what-so-ever. A child will grow up to be a well-respected adult whether their mother worked or stayed home. It’s QUALITY VS. QUANTITY—-when I am home, I give my child quality time. Stay-at-home-mothers, while home for a longer duration (quantity) do not necessarily give their child quality attention.

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