Roles Reversed

Aside from size, my family is your typical, ordinary family. We operate in the same way that families have been operating for centuries: the kids go to school and help with chores, mom stays home to cook and clean, and dad works all day in order to provide for the family. Day in and day out, this is what my family does; this is what makes life normal for us.

But I’ve noticed in recent years a change in how the family operates. Instead of mom staying home to cook and clean, she gets a degree in college and gets a job, leaving dad to stay home and care for the kids and take care of the house.

Now I’m not saying women should not be working and shouldn’t work towards a college degree; I’m working towards those things myself so to say that would be just a little hypocritical. Sarcasm noted I hope.

And giving dad more time to spend with his kids is certainly not a bad thing. By all means, dads, please take time for your kids! They need you at home just as much as mom.

The problem I have and the direction in which I intend to go is this: the mothers that spend most of their time working and are only home enough to put their kids on the bus or kiss them good night at bedtime.

The first and foremost responsibility of any mother is homemaking--nurturing and caring for her children, and taking care of the home.

When considering this in the media, I could bring up a number of examples where this is promoted or shown. But I’m going to focus on one television show through which I think the creators handled this controversial situation in a good way.

Many of you probably haven’t watched this show unless you have children under the age of preschool. I do not, but I have brothers and sisters who are that age and I have indeed watched the show called Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior.

In this program, the little girl “Doc” (I’ve always wondered what her real name is) is also a member of a fairly typical American family, which consists of four people: parents and two kids. In most episodes, her dad is frequently seen tending to the rosebushes or loading the dishwasher, while her mom, a doctor, is off at work taking care of patients at the nearby clinic.

My first thought when watching this show was, “Where is mom?” To me, mom is always home. My mom’s lot in life, her job that she fulfills every day without complaint, is taking care of her nine children, cleaning the house, cooking our meals, and so much more.

But when I see something that promotes only dad at home, my skeptical reaction is merely because it is against the norm. For me and my family, my mom is home one-hundred percent of the time.

But there are a few things about the show that I do appreciate, and this is why I am using the show as a positive example of working mothers and stay-at-home fathers.

In the show, Doc plays as a doctor who fixes toys that get broken. She loves to give checkups to the broken toys, jotting down the toys’ injuries in the “Big Book of Boo-boos”, and then solving the puzzle of how to fix a broken toy.

Doc is passionate when she plays as a doctor with her toys and that shows me that her mom is very influential in her daughter’s life. If my mom had a great job but never took the time to share with me what she did at work that day, why would I try to imitate her as a six-year-old girl? Doc imitates her mom not only because it interests her, but also because her mom spends time with her.

And there are indeed a few episodes in which Dr. McStuffins is shown taking her two kids to the park or doing laundry in the house. I really appreciate how, although she has a job and she is usually not home, they took the time to place her in some episodes to show that she is home with her kids during some days of the week.

This is why I used this as a positive example. Working moms are great, especially in today’s society when the economy is running rough and families are struggling financially. Sometimes you need the extra money, so I fully understand that.

But moms, please don’t place your job over your kids. In the long run, what’s more important? Yes, you went to college, you worked hard for that degree; you maybe even went into debt to get that degree. It is great that you got that job. But someday when your kids are no longer kids, you may look back and think, “Wasn’t he just five? Wasn’t she just playing with Barbie dolls? Where did the time go?”

The best way to influence your kids is by being there for them. Be that nurturing mother that you not only should be, but also that they want! I promise that when they’re grown and in college, getting their own degrees, they’ll be happy and thankful that you did.

I am.