I follow Risen Motherhood on IG and they posted about this article in their Stories the other week. It’s called “The One Life Dream That Makes A Girl Blush” and it brought me to tears.

“I know it’s silly,” one girl said. “I know. But…” she hesitated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I really just want to be married. To raise some kids. To take care of a home.” She’s almost embarrassed by the time she’s finished saying the sentiment. As if admitting it has made any impressive strength and wit she had faded away into a pile of proverbial laundry and dishes. As if she’s ashamed for wanting something so “trivial” and simple. “Is that silly? I mean, it’s really all I really want to do.”

We’ve gone so far down the road of feminism that we’ve forgotten how to proudly be feminine. You want to carry a child in your bones and lay down your life for them for more than 18 years? You want to lay down your life and learn to die to self for the rest of your life? You want to serve someone with all your heart, body, and soul? You want to master the art of cooking for a crowd and have clean clothes and end each day knowing that there’s a group of people who look to you as one of their anchors and rocks? You want to work your tired body from dawn to dusk for love?

How silly it is not. How trivial is no way to describe it.

This part of the article (which is just the beginning) resonated so deeply with me it made me catch my breath. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt this way when talking with people. I remember one time, years ago when E was our only baby, we invited one of Hubby’s high school friends over for dinner. I obviously didn’t know her but she & Hubby were close friends when they were younger and she happened to be in town and had reached out to ask Hubby if he was free to catch up. During dinner, she told us stories of grad school and work, what her plans and career goals were for the future. I’ll never forget the moment when she finished talking and looked pointedly at me and asked what I did for a living. I told her I was a stay-at-home parent and she responded with, “Yea okay but what are your dreams??” I was so dumbfounded that I didn’t even know how to reply; I didn’t know how to express to her that doing exactly what I was doing – being a mother and being at home – was my dream. The embarrassment that flooded through me in that moment from her condescending question is something that’s stayed with me even to this day.

I also remember vividly the summer I got married, when an uncle sat me down and told me to my face that I’d be doing a disservice to my future children if I didn’t go to grad school*. In his words, even if I intended to stay at home with my future kids, the mere fact that I only have a bachelor’s degree would one day be a reason for embarrassment to my kids. He expressed that my kids would need to see me as “high-achieving” in order to feel proud to have me as a mom.

Anyway, I’m not going to write anymore on the topic and how I feel about it because the article captures everything so beautifully so … if you have the time, go read this now.

*Just as a side note – there’s nothing wrong with going to grad school or working. But there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to be home with your kids and having that be your main ambition.