Hi Dr. Laura,
I started listening to you 2 years ago, when I purchased a car with Sirius radio. I stumbled upon your show as I was coming home from work I am a teacher, and have been hooked since.
My mother was a stay-at-home mom, as was her mom. As a child, I knew no different and assumed that ALL MOMS stayed home with their kids. I always thought I would do the same. It was only when I got older that I realized a lot of women actually WORK right after they give birth and that many women put their children in a stranger's hands at as little as 6 WEEKS OLD. I am a teacher and when I finally REALLY THOUGHT about the negative impact has on kids, I was disgusted. I see the effects of it every day in my classroom. The kids are argumentative, have little to no manners, constantly fight, and say mean things to each other and adults without even thinking. It is truly a struggle.
When I first started listening to your show, my fiancé, thought you were old fashioned and too conservative! His mother worked and he was raised in day care. He thought this is how everyone did things. I began telling him your solutions to other people's problems. We discussed at length your opinions and mine on stay-at-home moms. You inspired discussions between us before we got engaged that we would never have had without you. He now understands my plan to stay home with our kids and is fully prepared to support us while I raise our children. I could not be happier.
I constantly face people who don't understand why I would ever want to stop working when I have kids. I regularly get questions like, "Won't you miss adult interaction," "Why would you give up your life to stay home?" and "Won't you get bored doing nothing?" I laugh out loud at the last one. It's hard work, and I know this from watching my own mother. Because of you, Dr. Laura, I now have the courage to defend my choice to stay home. I make no excuses for my choice and am proud to say I will be my kids' mom. Whenever I have doubts, I always reflect on the strong connection I had with my mother, which will stay with me forever.
Thank you, Dr. Laura, for all that you do.
Kelilah
