[.ca] 7 Myths of Working Mothers: Why Children and (Most) ... (ISBN 1890626538)

It did not make my blood boil...:
I bought this book after reading a review that it made one reader's blood boil. I was disappointed in that respect - it did not make my blood boil and I am a part time stay at home mom and work part time. I think that this book did put in print some of the "gut feelings" that many moms have after having kids but are afraid to express to their families or their working friends. I don't feel that stay at home moms get the credit they deserve as I know it is one of the hardest jobs in the world and so important. This book did not offend me as I am secure in the way that I am raising my children and think that for some people who are too swayed by other people's opinion it will be a major eye-opener. They may not like what they see.

Great Read:
Women today have been duped into thinking the feminist movement had thier best interest in mind when in fact, it was to further the cause of communism. Poor women have been tricked into giving up their femininity for a payoff that never came. The girls today that benifit from the so called struggle are nothing but bimbos that are no longer ashamed to use their bodies to advance themselves ; hahaha this is what feminism has done. Women dont realize that by becoming masculine ( independent ), they make themselves incompatible with " Real Men" that are independent. Masculine archetype is attracted to Feminine archetype - period. This is a great book and full of wise advice

What a stupid book!:
Don't waste your money on this book unless you want to be insulted. Just because women work does not mean they can't be great moms. Finding quality daycare is key! My children loved their daycare providers and they loved playing with other kids. I like working and being a mom! I think I'm pretty good at it too!

Venker tells it like it is!:
What makes this book such an excellent read is the thoughtful and systematic way in which the author acknowledges and then refutes the most common justifications for moms not staying home to raise their own children. With the logical precision of a good trial lawyer, Venker takes on these prevalent myths, one by one, and shows convincingly the fallacy behind each one of them. In particular, I thought her use of various empirical studies to support her points was effective. I also liked her insightful treatment of the flawed economics of the case for moms going to work, since money is such a common justification for the decision to go back to work and leave the kids at day care. Finally, I give the author points for having the courage to say something that will not be politically popular and that will leave a lot of parents feeling uncomfortable about the choices that they have made. Yet, if it causes even just a few moms to re-think their choice about going back to work, it will be a book that was not written in vain.

Don't shoot the messenger!:
Don't shoot the messenger! The tendency to shoot the messenger if you don't like the news, is evident in the negative reviews of Suzanne Venker's excellent book. She has the courage to tell the truth even though a book telling working mothers what they want to hear - which is that they are doing the best thing for their children - would probably have a better shot at being a best seller. It is evident that her love for children, and her concern for how the care they receive will affect society, is her motivation in writing, not any political or traditionalist axe to grind. As Ms. Venker points out in Myth #5 (I'm a Better Mom for Working), however unpopular the idea may be, children's needs do not change based on their parents' economic status. As an educator and a former director of a non-profit day care center I can personally vouch for what Ms. Venker says about it being a myth that a small amount of quality time is a substitute for spending most of the day with a child. Children do just need quality time, and they need large quantities of it. They will starve on one bite a day of emotional filet mignon. I also had ample opportunity working in day care to see children's perspective on what was important in their lives. I vividly remember a mother trying to soothe her children who were upset at being left in the morning by saying, "Mommy is working so we can afford a trip to the snow on the weekend. You like trips to the snow, don't you?" With tears in his eyes the older boy, age 4, said solomnly, "No, we'd rather have you, Mom." In teaching elementary school age children, my current work, it is obvious to me which children have been raised in situations where their needs were met, and which were not. Aggression and lack of empathy are just two of the problems. This does not translate into full-time stay-at-home vs. full-time working outside the home. There is much ground in between. Ms. Venker lays out the issue of keeping a foot in the workforce very clearly, saying, "while they have young children women will have to be creative in fitting other work around their primary obligation to their children." As a writer and a mother she doesn't just talk the talk, she walks the walk. This book is not by some childless woman writing about theoretical ideas, this is someone who knows what every mother goes through in the ups and downs of raising children. Finally, as the middle-aged mother of two college students, I would urge mothers-to-be and mothers of young children to read Ms. Venker's book and then remember the cliche that's so true - they DO grow up fast. By the later grades of elementary school they won't always want to spend their free time with you. You'll have years and years to work. Much as I love my work, I've never regretted working very, very part-time while the girls were little. I sincerely hope you read and think seriously about 7 Myths of Working Mothers, and that you will be able to look back at the choices you made in your child's early years with no regrets.