I Work Hard for the Money

Posted Sunday, March 25, 2007 12:23 AM

So hard for it, honey.  I can't be the only one here who brings home the bacon, as opposed to cooking it, right?  And I'm not talking about part-time work.  Hell, I'm not even talking about 9 to 5.  I scoff at 9 to 5.  That's a cakewalk.

Many of us slave away every day, logging in long, long hours.  We don't have dinner simmering on the stovetop when our husbands come home.  We don't flit about the house, dusting and tidying.  We don't ponder which blue gingham will look best in the baby's nursery.  We work, work, work, and some of us are the primary breadwinners of our households.

So why does The Nest perpetuate the stereotype of the 1950s housewife?  "Parenting"?  "Babies on the Brain"?  "Entertaining Ideas"?  "Your Home"?  "Cleaning House"?  Seriously?  I see the titles, and I want to hurl.  Martha Stewart, I am not, nor will I ever be.

I propose the following boards:

Breadwinner Bonding: Career women can b!tch about work and the struggle to juggle their professional lives and their home lives.

Childless by Choice: Baby haters unite!  Finally, a board for all of us who hate insipid talk of anything baby-related.

Pop Culture Potpourri: Ok, maybe not "potpourri," but I'm trying to be alliterative, and I've run out of creative juice.  Here, we'd talk about TV, movies, etc.  Eff the Nest Book Club.  I don't have the time to read books.  I need instant gratification.

I'm not dissing the stay-at-home (or aspiring stay-at-home) moms out there.  Not at all.  That's great that you are having and raising your children.  More power to you.  That's not an option for me, should I ever change my mind about children, because I must earn a living.  I'm not dissing you.  I'm just saying I have little to nothing in common with you on this particular front. I don't care to know details of your ovulation cycle.  I don't care to give you any input on middle names.  I don't care to look at your inscrutable ultrasounds.  (No, actually, I don't see his little hands there.)  You keep that talk on your boards, and maybe we can chat about other things on mine.

Oh, wait.  Mine don't exist.  Poop.