6 Responses

1. Christy  •  July 18, 2008 @4:45 pm
   

   I agree….I was just thinking about this topic today. Waking up in the middle of the night with my child is an great time of bonding with her. I can’t imagine giving that role to someone else.

2. Leila  •  July 19, 2008 @6:32 am
   

   I’m a regular reader of yours and always enjoy your posts, just don’t get around to commment. I’ve heard about this night nannying and I’m just as dumb-struck as you are. It’s not my experience and not anything I’ll ever do.

   When my first daughter was a newborn, we subscribed to Netflix and I enjoyed watching tv shows, movies and documentaries (on mute, with the subtitles on) while trying to stay awake through the night. Maybe I’ll sound like a goody two shoes or be found all high and mighty but I feel like those experiences are a badge of honor and some of the stories from those nights are hilarious, in hindsight.
   Anyway, you’re not alone in your thinking.

3. Dottye  •  July 19, 2008 @8:13 am
   

   The article you referenced is an article about people — male and female — who are unwilling or unable to make a connection with their child. I fail to see how this has anything to do with “feminism.”

   Rather it has to do with lifestyle choices made by couples with large incomes, seemingly important jobs (when the important job, one might think, is loving a child), ambition, and a failure to connect with each other as partners, with their child, as a family.

   But please don’t blame feminism. This article was about two parent households choosing to hire someone to be the nurturing figure in their child’s life. Someone other than the biological parents, and that’s parents, plural.

   Feminists love children, too. And I’ll bet many of them find this article as appalling as you do. ;O)

4. admin  •  July 20, 2008 @5:47 am
   

   Hi Dottye,

   Thank you so much for your post! It made me feel better - I have to say that sometimes I feel like I must be turning against my feminist sisters because I choose to stay home and be, well, barefoot and pregnant! I completely agree with you and thank you for calling me on it!

   Best,
   Misha

5. One Green Baby Step  •  July 26, 2008 @3:46 am
   

   I own my own business in which I work while my child is sleeping. That means I work an 8 hour day around my child’s naptime and night sleeping. I quit my very lucrative job so I could stay home and RAISE my daughter. If you want to have children, then give them what they deserve. I agree that the night nanny idea takes selfishness of some parents to a whole new level!

   I have happily passed up many job offers for great jobs without a blink to continue to stay home. And now I get to love my life by having a successful business that I love and time with my daughter.

   Great post!
   -Jeanne R

6. Pilar  •  August 4, 2008 @4:41 pm
   

   Wow, couldn’t have said it better myself. Someone close to me has two little ones (3 yrs and 9 months), and she decided to leave them for 6 weeks with relatives so she could go to a weight-loss camp (she’s about 20 lbs overweight, nothing requiring drastic action!). I was incensed, how DARE SHE abandon her children! Her husband told her to get counseling for her anger issues, and she just replied that what she really needed was a daytime babysitter for the 3 yr old (she’s a SAHM) because the kids “cramped her style”. NIGHTMARISH!! Whew, sorry for this rant, but I agree wholeheartedly with you: if you don’t want kids, don’t have them!!

Leave a Reply