My mom didn't just sit around the house, though. She was the superintendent of the Sunday School at our church, a member of the Ladies' Aid and also volunteered in the art room at my school. She sang in the choir. She went to Art School. For fun she went bowling every Thursday night with "the girls". And she always made our clothes - I don't think I had any store-bought clothing until after my dad died and she had to go back to work.
Maybe this recession has been a good thing, in a sense. People are learning to do with less, and many families are making it work on one income again. More people I know are making things at home, like clothing, gifts and even meals - go figure!
Now with one parent at home while the other is working, there might be something better than fast food on the table for dinner. And all of the family members can eat together, since no one can afford to send their teenagers out for dates at the movies.
This even means that parents might get a chance to meet their kids' friends. And even more surprising yet, their kids' boyfriends and girlfriends may even eat dinner with them - meaning they might get to know what their kids are doing and who they are hanging out with.
Of course in this day and age, most of the parents who are staying at home now are the men, rather than the women. At least that's what is the norm with the people I know. Most of the men I know who were laid off were working either in the construction trades or trucking. When no one is buying new homes, no one is building them, either.
It's been nice, in some respects, having my husband home during the day. My three teenage sons don't get away with much. In fact, most of the time they don't even bother trying anymore since they know it's not worth it to make trouble. Hubby's the mastermind at out house when it comes to devising repercussions for misbehavior.
Obviously, he's also way better than I am at lifting the heavy stuff, which means that the couch gets moved when the vacuuming is done. The heavy totes of seasonal stuff like summer clothes and beach gear get packed into the shed right away, and the winter sweaters and coats are brought in.
I can't help but feeling a little left out, though. When I get home from work, I usually end up cooking dinner (trust me - this is for the best, in our house. The guys all cook, but I like to eat before 9pm). While I cook, everyone else watches TV in the living room, because "their work is done for the day." I don't think "mom's chores" are ever done. It seems like I'm left with the chores I don't necessarily like, to boot. Not that I don't like working, but why do I need to be the one who's always running? As a friend of mine from highschool, Amy, said on her FaceBook status one day (and this should be known for all time as one of the greatest quotes, EVER): "Not only do I have to bring home the bacon, but I have to cook it, too."
We working moms still seem to get stuck with more work than our fathers did when they were the ones bringing home the bacon. I still do a lot of the stuff my mom did: the volunteering, the cooking, the coupon-shopping and the sewing. Only now I've got a full-time, sometimes 40+ hour-per-week job to fit in as well. I've also decided that I need to go back to school to finish my degree. By the time I get my BS in Business Administration that I started about 6 years ago, I will have three kids in college, if they haven't already beaten me to the graduation finish line.
In order to supplement the amount needed to cover books for school and other miscellaneous items, I've started an online store at Etsy, Rock Prairie Designs. I blog about how that's going at my other blog, Rock Prairie Designs. Trust me, I don't whine as much there as I might here or on my other blogs. It's just not professional :)
At least the work I do for my store is something I like. It's fun. Even if it ends up someday as yardsale fodder, as long as it helps me out now, cool. Stop by and check it out, and spread the word, if you like what you see. I can use all the help I can get!
I can't say I hold anything against my husband for being at home, either. He gave me an "art studio" - one day I came home and he had an area put together for my work space:

It's cozy, but just perfect. The light above the table is great.
Here's a pic of my most recent creation, finished in My New Art Studio :)















