Larry Elder

Now, I know I've said in the past that I don't like the Larry Elder Show. So I'm not sure why the other day, I didn't run to turn the channel when it came on. Here's what the topic was:

WEDNESDAY, June 22nd
“Working Moms vs. Stay-At-Home Moms”

Larry talks to advocates on both sides of the stay-at-home versus working mom debate, including a stay-at-home mom who pinches pennies so she can afford to be home with her kids, a working mom who communicates with her kids via cell phone, and a couple who has chosen to remain childless altogether.

Here's my problem. Larry had, from what I saw, married moms only and these women were so polarized about their opinions. There was absolutely no middle ground for either side, which disturbs me. Stay at home moms said that working moms were selfish and working moms defended their right to work. There was even one stay at home mom who went to college and said that she wants her daughters to go to college and then be stay at home moms and not work outside the home.

To have a balanced conversation, Larry should've included singles moms. Each side said that the other side was doing harm to their child be either staying home or going to work. But in reality, moms do the best they can for their kids. Some moms, like my mom have to work in order to take care of the family. My mom, a single parent has no choice but to work outside of the home. But she has chosen to take lesser paying jobs with more flexibility so that she can be home when my siblings get home from school. Also, she makes sure that she is emotionally available for her children. That's what every mom should do regardless of whether they work outside the home or inside. That's what she did for me when I was little and had to work fulltime.

What kills me is that Larry Elder always shows the most extreme of circumstances on his show. They he turns around and says his old mantra, "It's all about personal responsibility". And in a way he's right. Moms who work outside the home should make sure that they provide not only materially for their kids, but emotionally as well. The same thing goes for moms who stay at home. Sometimes they cannot provide as much materially, but children need that emotional availability from them as well.

From looking at my family who has been in both situations, I think that what my mom hasn't been able to give to us materially is far outweighed by the emotional and spiritual support she's given us. These things will last us far longer than any material thing she can ever give us. She's given us a balanced life and for that I'll be forever grateful.