Anti-Climacus

QUOTE: Sara Butler:

"My peers, to the extent that they do think about their future as mothers (I'm 22), know that the tension between work and family will eventually be a big issue for them, a much bigger issue than for their husbands. Some of them think it's unfair and some think it's the way things are supposed to be, but all of them seem to reach for absolute answers: being a working mom will either have no affect on one's children or be the worst thing that could possibly happen to them, staying home is either completely unimportant or totally necessary. Flanagan admits that at one time she felt the latter, and I think this piece is in many ways just a description of the things that lead to her believe there isn't, unfortunately, an easy answer, just plenty of "grinding anxiety and regret." If working is something that many women do for themselves, that doesn't have to mean it's selfish, but neither does it mean it's the most important thing you do just because it's self-expressive or what have you."