No travelogue tonight Friends. I just have a couple of things on my mind that I feel like sharing before getting ready for book club.
Earlier this week I was reading the newspaper and came across two interesting articles on the same page, and while both had to do with money, the stories were totally different. One was about how more women are getting into the Avon and Tupperware businesses on the side. Why? To make extra money to supplement the family income. I then saw a short piece about a man who didn’t understand all the hoopla about his bonus. After all, he deserved it, by golly! The thing is, his company has lost BILLIONS, and he got a 75 MILLION dollar bonus. Huh? Here are moms peddling plastic while this guy is raking in millions. I’ve read that the income gap is widening, but this is ridiculous. By the way, I can’t remember the name of his company, but I’m not making this up. Really.
I’m picking up mssc54’s lament about the number of mothers having babies out of wedlock. It’s astounding to realize that 40 percent of America’s babies are born to single mothers. Don’t take my word for it; check it out for yourself. I just do not understand this. Call me an old fogey or whatever else you want to throw my way. But before you do, check out the research on child development, and you’ll learn that study after study confirms that children with two parents in the home fare better in every way: emotionally, socially, psychologically, physically, and financially. Yes, I know there are two-parent homes where abuse and neglect are regular happenings, but still….Don’t take my word for it. The studies are easy to find, and they all say the same thing; babies raised by single mothers (and it’s usually the mom who’s raising the child) are more likely to live in poverty and suffer the consequences (often long-term) that go along with that.
This phenomenon (single mothers), long a concern in psychology and sociology circles, has now captured the attention of the media. A couple of weeks ago I happened to catch part of the evening news, and an interviewer was asking a young single mother WHY. Why did you opt to have this baby out of wedlock and keep him? She said that it (motherhood) was something she purposely sought and that the reason she didn’t want to get married was because she didn’t want to be cumbered with a husband. She, however, wanted to have a full life, one in which she experienced all sorts of things, including motherhood. The baby was looking at the camera in big-eyed curiosity. I wonder when his daddy-ache will begin or how he’ll react when he begins school and gets asked/teased about his father. But hey, does that really matter as long as his mother feels fulfilled?
Only one more thing. I’m wondering why so many people feel that it’s necessary to take potshots at President Obama. Lately some columnists have been giving him a hard time for having what they perceive to be a condescending attitude towards Americas and perhaps too much of an empathic one with some of the folks he’s been visiting overseas. President Bush got bashed for having too much of an ethnocentric, “we’re #1” attitude. Can any high profile person avoid getting slammed by the cynics?
My next post will be more upbeat. I just had to get this stuff off my chest. Does anyone have any answers to the above???
mom's musings 
Good vent!!!
I can give a big AMEN to the single mom thing. And the bonus thing. The incongruity of wealth in America, and entitlement of those who “have”, is infuriating. I could go on and on.
President Obama will get people criticizing him no matter what he does. In a way it comforts me that he’s getting a little flack, because sometimes I was worried he was just trying to please everyone… apparently not. Apparently he has something real to say, and will say it in spite of criticism. *deep sigh of relief.*
Anyway, Hope you have a better day tommorrow. It’s Friday! hurrah!!
We will see how fulfilling that mom thinks her life is when her child hits the terrible twos and threes and fours and she is doing it on her own.
As you stated studies have shown the benefit time and time again of two parent house holds, and I know without my husband well I would just be plain out crazy by now 🙂
Great post!
Single mothers and bed hopping men/boys who “spray” their seed wherever they can have become THE blight on society!
Parenting isn’t for sissies and should be done agressively NOT passivly.
But those are just my (correct) opinions. 🙂
Theoretically I don’t object to single parenthood.
The problem is that most single parents are uneducated, poor, and socioeconomically at the bottom. Abuse is more likely to occur in poorer families; stress has a LOT to do with incidences of abuse. (In fact, incidents of child abuse have been increasing due in no small part to this recession.)
I wish having children could be a privilege and not a right.
maybe I should vent instead of suffering a “sinking” spell! The “news” fills me with so much irritation and anger…not even sure who I should be irritated and angry with…
A lot of things can be summed up with the blame game instead of taking responsibility everyone wants to blame someone else…
I’m not savvy enough to predict all of the ramifications but I do perceive it might be bad. I’m not sure what I’d move my investments according to inside all your scenario.As for tanking all of your economy for the purpose of political gain, I want they’d go ahead and also do it (that is almost certainly, worse than they already feature). turbine pro beats!