While the likes of Katie Hopkins are busy slamming stay-at-home mothers for making the decision not to go back to work and stay home with their children, blogger Matt Walsh is preaching a very different sermon.
*"Yes, my wife is JUST a mother. JUST. She JUST brings forth life into the universe, and she JUST shapes and molds and raises those lives"*
In a post he wrote last year titled “You’re a stay-at-home mom? What do you DO all day?”, Matt discusses a couple of experiences he had with women about his wife whom is a stay at home mom. After the Katie Hopkins row, his views went viral - and they are definitely worth reading.
Check them out for yourself below...
It’s happened twice in a week, and they were both women. Anyone ought to have more class than this, but women — especially women — should damn well know better.
It started in similar fashion; a friendly exchange about how things are coming along with the babies. The conversation quickly derailed when the woman hit me with this:
'So is your wife staying at home permanently?'
'Permanently? Well, for the foreseeable future she will be raising the kids full time, yes.'
'Yeah, mine is 14 now. But I’ve had a career the whole time as well. I can’t imagine being a stay at home mom. I would get so antsy. [Giggles] What does she DO all day?'
'Oh, just absolutely everything. What do you do all day?'
'…Me? Ha! I WORK!'
'My wife never stops working. Meanwhile, it’s the middle of the afternoon and we’re both at a coffee shop. I’m sure my wife would love to have time to sit down and drink a coffee. It’s nice to get a break, isn’t it?'”
The conversation ended less amicably than it began.* ***
Matt goes on to explain that, while he doesn't judge women for going back to work after the birth of their baby, he does want to challenge people for being "so shallow" and "so confused" that they cannot support omen who choose to stay home with their children.
*It’s true — being a mom isn’t a “job.” A job is something you do for part of the day and then stop doing. You get a paycheck. You have unions and benefits and break rooms. I’ve had many jobs; it’s nothing spectacular or mystical. I don’t quite understand why we’ve elevated “the workforce” to this hallowed status.
Whatever your job is — you are expendable. You are a number. You are a calculation. You are a servant. You can be replaced, and you will be replaced eventually. Am I being harsh? No, I’m being someone who has a job. I’m being real.
If your mother quit her role as mother, entire lives would be turned upside down; society would suffer greatly. The ripples of that tragedy would be felt for generations. If she quit her job as a computer analyst, she’d be replaced in four days and nobody would care. Same goes for you and me. We have freedom and power in the home, not the office. But we are zombies, so we can not see that.
Yes, my wife is JUST a mother. JUST. She JUST brings forth life into the universe, and she JUST shapes and molds and raises those lives.
She JUST manages, directs and maintains the workings of the household, while caring for children who JUST rely on her for everything.
She JUST teaches our twins how to be human beings, and, as they grow, she will JUST train them in all things, from morals, to manners, to the ABC’s, to hygiene, etc.
She is JUST my spiritual foundation and the rock on which our family is built.
She is JUST everything to everyone.
And society would JUST fall apart at the seams if she, and her fellow moms, failed in any of the tasks I outlined.
Yes, she is just a mother. Which is sort of like looking at the sky and saying, “hey, it’s just the sun.”*
Matt finishes by saying: "We get a lot of things wrong in our culture. But, when all is said and done, and our civilisation crumbles into ashes, we are going to most regret the way we treated mothers and children."
Do you agree with him - do stay-at-home mums deserve more respect? Have you ever felt embarrassed about staying at home to look after your children? Comment below and join the debate now.