Distilled: Sunday New York Times Magazine

re: Distilled: Sunday New York Times Magazine

anonymous2 — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:03:14 GMT

Like leahsmom, I thought that some of the parents in the article went to wacky lengths to keep things equal. I think that moms who work full time and do the lion's share of housework and child-rearing have a legitimate gripe. But my husband is the breadwinner. I'm the homemaker. While we spend our days doing different things, we both agree that our workloads are about the same. It may sound old-fashioned, but it works for us. True that my husband doesn't see as much of our daughter as I do, but he's very thankful that she's home with me and not with a babysitter or in a daycare. And he spends lots of quality time with her after he gets home from work and on the weekends. True that I don't earn "my own" money, but he earns the money for both us and we both treat it that way. He wouldn't dream of implying that the money isn't as much mine as his any more than I would tell him not to eat the meal because I made it or use the toilet because I scrubbed it. I think that this kind of natural give and take works a lot more smoothly than the constant "keeping score" of the couples featured in the NY Times article.

re: Distilled: Sunday New York Times Magazine

leahsmom — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:02:36 GMT

I was kind of interested to see that the couples who insisted on "equal parenting" (which I put in quotes because that could mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people) were keeping spreadsheets of time spent on activities and with children to make sure things balanced. I am glad they found something that works for them, but man, for me that would make home feel just like my office!

re: Distilled: Sunday New York Times Magazine

Yvie — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:26:39 GMT

I've also come across this article. It was um so long. But to sum this all up, I agree with you. It's a choice. Others may feel comfortable working together as a team in raising your children. Others may not. You really can't tell what people would do. That's why we have the freedom to choose. :) I'm not saying that I am against this idea. This sure stirred a lot of reactions from parents like us.

re: Distilled: Sunday New York Times Magazine

renee — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:49:09 GMT

Here's my summary: other people's lives are boring.