I'm a freelancer who has worked part-time in pretty much every possible arrangement (including longer term office-based projects) since I had kids. 2 thoughts: 1) Building on Tim's comment: the Proverbs 31 ideal in this context is interesting but needs to be more fully explored. The traditional model of having parents working in home-based careers can reduce stress. However, we are no longer an agriculturally-based society, sending our goods off to market. Many careers still need to largely happen out of the house (teachers, doctors, factory jobs, etc.) 2) As per the photo: The reality is that when women or men work at home, they need time and space to work. Working at home does make the demands of young children and housework go away. That can produce a lot of stress for the at-home parent. Remember the Proverbs 31 woman had "maidens" (servant girls)!

I also think it's perfectly acceptable for both parents to work outside the home; just because that's what they feel is best for them and their family. When we idealize one form of work-home structure, it sets up tension for those who fall outside of that structure. I wouldn't have wanted to "work from home" while trying to raise my children. That seems like a nightmare to me. But, I realize that for others, that kind of set up is something they'd actively seek. To each their own. I've always felt perfectly comfortable with my choice to work full-time throughout my adulthood - including when my children were young. I suspect that I felt no real difference than what most men feel when they go off to work each day.

Great article. Before I got married, I was in high profile jobs. After marriage, I left my position as a college professor to stay home and work with my husband's company. I have to admit that this was very hard for me. At the time, part of my identity was linked to my work. I now have three children ages 3, 4 and 7. Over the years, I have worked from home for my husband's company and also done a variety of legitimate home based work all around my husband and childrens's schedules. It's been wonderful. I still work very part time from home for my husband's company and have my kids at home. About a year ago, God lead me to another calling, blogging for a purpose. I started a christian oriented website to help others, especially single moms, obtain legitimate, fee free, scam free work from home. If a woman puts her family first, there is a way to have it all. Anne-Marie Anderson

Monica, I'm glad you wrote on how the historic model is so different from what we've seen in America the past couple of generations. I think going back to Proverbs 31 can be helpful in that discussion. One thing we should keep in mind too is that the Proverbs 31 woman never existed. That chapter is not biographical, but aspirational. And I think it is meant as a model for men as much as for women. If you look at the book of Proverbs, the opening chapters personify wisdom as a woman. Chapter 31 is positioned as a bookend, describing what Wisdom looks like in application. Proverbs 31 is not about how women should behave. Proverbs 31 is about how God's people - men and women - should live wisely. Cheers, Tim (timfall.wordpress.com)

Thanks so much for bringing the Proverbs 31 woman to this discussion. I've felt lately like she's gotten short shrift in our discussions about womanhood, and while we don't look to her to judge ourselves as inferior, she is a fantastic example of fully-formed womanhood--of fully-formed personhood. No threat there, just inspiration.

This is timely. A few of us were having a conversation on Twitter a few weeks ago about choosing traditional roles for women (like being SAHMs) and yet being feminists. This article fits in nicely with that topic. I'm going to go link to it in the post I wrote for a blog linkup.