Growing up, it's crazy how often I heard that being a housewife/ SAHM would not be providing value and living up to my potential. My 18 y.o. niece is being told her desire for it is a "cop-out".

Yet, look at the literal $ value provided (there's also immeasurable value in each):

1) Childcare. Think: daycare and nanny costs.

2) Teaching children. Look at how much you pay in school taxes to have someone else educate your children.

3) Growing and preparing food. Consider not just buying food, but how much you pay have someone else prepare your meals.

4) Family healthcare. By preparing food, we reduce the cost of an unhealthy diet.

5) Budgeting. Consider the time it takes to research cost-effective solutions & how much is saved by doing so.

6) Cloth making/ mending. How much do we spend on new clothes/ alterations?

7) Laundering clothes. Lots of laundry services out there and they are pricey.

8) Cleaning. Want someone to come to your home and do this? Pay up.

9) Making things cozy, warm, and inviting. Not sure you can pay for this. Maybe an interior designer?

Point is, there are myriad skills and value to be provided in the home. So much needs to be learned, a lot to be embraced.

A lot to be proud of when it's mastered.

To think it's a "cop-out" to practice and master these and other tasks is not just wrong, it's cruel.

It's wrong because of the value I just laid out.

It's cruel bc it rejects the nurturing aspect of womanhood. It presumes that all of these pursuits aren't worthwhile in their own right. It teaches girls to distance themselves from a vital aspect of femininity. That's cruel.