Audacity

My husband and I live a lifestyle of role reversal — I go to work full-time while he stays at home with the kids. Most people balk at this. “But HE should be going to work and letting YOU stay home!” Each time I craftily change the subject, avoiding confrontation for the benefit of both parties. Yet I find myself lately resenting how other people seem to perceive our arrangement. Who are you to tell me how to live my life?! I find myself thinking. This is between my husband and me, and you’re not a part of the arrangment!

We have chosen this lifestyle for many reasons, although specifically because I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree. Who do you think is going to earn more money going out to work? Should he get a job so I can put the kids in daycare and/ or after-school care to let a perfect stranger watch my children? Should I let him get a lower paying job than I have so I can stay home and figure out what expenses to cut from our budget? So many more questions present themselves. I have spent far too much time accumulating job experience to increase my net worth to back out on it now. I am forging a career in the field of writing. This is what I choose to do. My husband is waiting out the poor economy until people are willing to pay for his graphical and designing talents. In the mean time, my children have something very critical at home — their father. He keeps the house together while I bring home the money. What’s so horrible about the man doing “woman’s work” while the woman does “the man’s job?” Honestly? This is the year 2009. This is not 1959. I refuse to become June Cleaver.

Now, if you want me to stay home so desperately, you’re going to have to offer me a good chunk of change in exchange for my writing talents. I strive to obtain that lovely lifestyle where I can walk to my laptop and call that my “morning commute.” For the moment though, I am not quite far along enough in my career to establish such a wonderful lifestyle. If you don’t like how I live my life, I have a great recommendation for you — don’t choose to follow my path.