I turned on my television the other morning to hear the news that said (something to the effect of…)
New research shows that children of Moms who work (regardless of marital status) show an increased rate of obesity
In listening to the report, I felt myself split into 2, separate but equal parts both of which were peering through the threshold into my family room, to where my kids were watching a video and evaluating their physical “shape”…that is until I slapped myself.
One part of me was sad while the other was irate (the irate side won the battle and prevails as my standpoint on this subject).
Anything that starts with “Women who choose to pursue a career….” is going to be a tough pill for me to swallow, and on this morning, true to form….That statement is where Ms. Irate started to gain her stronghold.
Don’t shoot the messenger….
Listen here you woman with the perfectly coiffed hair and airbrushed makeup speaking to me from in front of the fake NYC street-scape…for most of the women I know who work full-time outside of the house (and there are MANY!), there was not much of a “choice” involved…unless you consider feeding, housing & clothing their families a “choice.”
In so many of the relationships that surround me, both adult partners in the household must maintain employment outside of the home, in order to keep the household going and keep the family together. In the families I know headed by a single Parent, the need of that parent (regardless of their gender) to maintain employment outside of the home becomes even that much more critical.
That being said, I was also angered by the fact that the child-obesity statistic at the heart of the report centered upon “Mothers who work”…to say nothing of the Fathers who work. Are you kidding me? So now….not only am I responsible for the overall denigration of the fabric of the American family, but I’m also literally tipping the scales for my kids???? What’s next…I shot J.R.?
A POUND of Panic is worth….
Buried until the VERY end of the segment was the fact that the increase in weight at the heart of this study, amounted to about 1 pound per child. So really, what amounts to a child indulging in an extra scoop of mint chocolate chip, is what ALERTED the media to the pending doom we Working Moms are subjecting our children?
Every time I read or hear about a guilt-laiden “study” such as this one, I immediately think “Oh right, silly me, I should’ve known 15 years ago that having/raising healthy and happy children and working to provide for those children, was an “either/or” situation. I missed that in the parenting manual that came strapped to my child’s arm on delivery day.
In any case…back to the morning muffin and here’s to no more morning television!
Sincerely,
The Working Mom
