With present global economic conditions, wives and mothers may find themselves with no choice but to get a job to contribute to the family income. For families that had been accustomed to a stay-at-home mom, this may cause a serious disruption in the normal routine, but perhaps only temporarily..
Each family member will have to adjust to the new circumstances, but with goodwill and co-operation it can not only can be done, but everyone may find that they actually prefer this new schedule to the previous one.
The man of the house will be under less pressure. He is no longer the sole provider for his family. His wife is helping out. It follows that he should contribute by assuming some of the duties for which she was formerly responsible.
Could he handle the washing, and perhaps cook dinner twice a week? Household duties should be divided up according to talents and preferences.
An efficiently-managed household will require team work. Well, wasn't that what both partners volunteered for when they got married? Now the concept must be put into practice in a serious manner.
It is not unreasonable for the team leaders, the husband and wife, to hold a weekly meeting to check on the overall success of the operation or to plan alternate strategies which might be more practical. If the meeting happens to take place in a quiet, reasonably-priced little restaurant, so much the better.
Who knows? Mom joining the work force may revitalize the marriage. To be successful, shared goals require good communication and that, after all, can only improve the relationship. The increased closeness and co-operation between the parents can only have a positive effect on the children.
They will already be benefiting from more quality time with Dad. Since he's less stressed because of the help he's getting with family finances, he should take some of the childcare chores off Mom's shoulders. He may be able to drive his offspring to school or day-care, or attend weekend sports practices or music lessons.
The children will also have to adjust, according to their ages, and levels of maturity. The older ones should be responsible for keeping their own space, such as their bedrooms, neat and vacuumed. Each child should be assigned age-appropriate duties. It is surprising how much help children be, and they are learning self-reliance and responsibility at the same time.
Of course, it shouldn't be all work. Since funds will no longer be as scarce, the family can perhaps take a pleasurable jaunt every few weeks: movies and pizza, a trip to the zoo, a picnic at the beach, whatever events and pastimes are available in their particular area. One special, longer vacation trip in the summer will make the all the year's efforts and sacrifices seem worthwhile.
Finally, let's consider Mother. She is no longer a "just a housewife". Her world has expanded. She has a chance to mingle with other adults every day. Probably the physical effort required at her job is less than she had to do at home.
In addition, she now has a " date night": dinner out once a week with a partner who really communicates with her as they celebrate family achievements in the past week, and plan tactics to do even better in the following seven days.
She is proud of the way her children are maturing right before her eyes. They are learning practical skills that will be useful to them in the future, when they are responsible for homes and families of their own. The increased closeness and solidarity she notices between the children and both parents is an additional bonus.
If, at some future time, circumstances change and the wife and mother has a chance to again become a "stay-at-home" mom, it is just possible that the family, speaking as a unit, will reject the option.
The children profit from the extra family income, they've got their chores down to a workable routine, and Mom no longer has time to hover over them and question their every move.
Dad enjoys being involved in his children's lives, and having more opportunities to spend quality time with them. He also appreciates the weekly dates and new-found closeness he's experiencing with his spouse.
And Mom? She has the best of all possible worlds: she's a career girl, a mother, a wife, a date. a confidante, and she's satisfied she's doing a competent job every area.
The lifestyle within the family unit has definitely changed for the better since this woman went to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment