Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Retro Mom

Hello!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.



My sister, Julie shot the latest cover for New York Magazine, in an article titled The Retro Mom.   Styling by Amanda Carter Gomes.  The article is interesting and has made me think a lot about the progression of the feminist movement and how it relates to me being a mom today, after having been a daughter of a sahm and also having been a sahm myself for 12 years before my divorce from my former hubs and entrance into the work world.  I hope you can take the time to read it.  I wish I had time to explore with you some of my thoughts on it today, but alas, ironically...I have to get back to work on deadlines.

A few of my thoughts on the subject:
I will say that after having lived on both sides of the pond on this issue, I must say I am for mom's choosing what works best for themselves and for the balance of their family.  No matter where you are, moms, balance is a daily struggle, right?  For me, I work because I enjoy it.  I also work out of necessity.  I think women have a lot to share not only at home but in the real world.  Yes, there are days I wish I was a stay at home mom.  But, for me, 'working' works for us.  That's not to say that I don't wish that childcare and longer maternity leaves should be a built in for mom's who need it.


I often see and hear of a lot of mom's sucking up the brunt of the work load when it comes to kid's needs, kid's sick days, doctor visits, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and childcare.  Regardless of where women find their main purpose {home or breadwinning in the work place}, we as women need to band together and start demanding a bigger change.  Women should be able to enter the work force without the middle name of guilt.  We should be able to tell our daughters, with confidence, that they can be any thing they want to be when they grow up and while our sons are fed the same thing, they should also be trained to cook, clean, sew, arrange childcare and pick up some groceries too.  I think we're gaining a little ground, since studies now show that guys are now openly acknowledging a nod for equality in partnerships at home and work. But when it all comes down to it, the reality is that we women end up making more domestic sacrifices in general and that pressure really adds up.  Now, I know I chose to have kids and that life is hard sometimes.  I'm not complaining.   I just think we can do better at sharing work load.

More on this topic later.  Would LOVE for you to share your thoughts.  I know all you women out there have MUCH to share. Do you see a need for change?  How can we demand a change?  A letter to Hilary Clinton?  A small strike at home?  haha.  Just kidding.

Funny thing is, I was going to post our retro kitchen sample selections today.  How fitting, huh?  Taking a break from the kitchen.  Until tomorrow:)

Stay tuned for an exciting new guest post blog series.

Have a great day!

xx
sharon


Pickwick House is a full service design/build company in the heart of the Midwest!  {Springfield, Missouri's Rountree Neighborhood}.  We handle all aspects of residential renovations from small to large projects and are available for full service and consultation design, and/or stylizing from East to West Coast.  Call or email us today.  We may be on location, but we'll get back to you in no time.

 417-459-8988 *sharontaylordesigns@yahoo.com

2 comments:

Amy Vermillion Interiors said...

Sharon…AMEN sister. I too am an interior designer (have been for decades) with a (gulp) five year old daughter. The guilt I feel at times for leaving her to meet a client, a deadline or a business trip is horrible. But, I do know too that we are instilling in our children a vision of a strong mom who does what needs to be done. And who has a successful business! Important stuff for little eyes.
Alas, my time with her is uninterrupted and glorious and I look forward to her open arms upon my return.
Hugs to you and high fives as well,
Amy Vermillion

A Lifestyle Thing said...

Amy, thank you for stopping in to share your thoughts on this. It's a hot button topic and I'm hoping we can continue to move forward to make a real shift towards integration of roles at work and home:-)

Your daughter sounds like she has a really great mommy with AMAZING design sense and work ethic. I love your work, btw! High fives to you!!
xx

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