The Mommy Wars Continue

Back in July, I blogged on Linda Hirschman's argument that educated women are doing more harm to society by staying home with their children, than they're doing good. Today, Hirschman is back in the spotlight with the release of her book, Get to Work: A Manifesto for the Women of the World. Both Al Mohler and Candice Watters have tackled Hirschman's past, as well as more recent, comments.

For those of us who Hirschman is comparing to what Mohler said are the "'untouchables' of India -- a caste consigned to sweep bodily wastes and care for the bodily needs of others," her views can be infuriating. However, as I posted in a comment on the Boundless Line, at the same time I'm angered by her statements, I feel bad for her. It's sad that she, as a mother herself, so misunderstands and misses the joy that can be found in motherhood.

I love what Shannon Popkin in her article "The Significance of Dog Hair and Trash Cans" (in this month's issue of Focus on the Family magazine) wrote concerning these "menial" tasks Hirschman thinks are below educated women.

According to God's standards for achievement, the last shall be first, and being great requires learning to be a servant of all. As the Father sifts our accomplishments, He assigns the most value to serving. This tells me that an office with mahogany furniture and a personal assistant is not the only setting for great accomplishments. In fact, caring for small children in the home provides incredible opportunity for advancement. Sticky messes and smelly garbage cans aren't detours and roadblocks; they are God's highway of significance.

She goes on to say, "Pleasing the Lord wouldn't be enhanced by bringing home a paycheck or having a title before my name. I have just as many opportunities to please Him within the four walls of my family room as I would in a corner office. As I wipe a little bottom, I have the same wherewithal to gain the Lord's favor as does a top strategist for Pampers. Tying little shoes, reading picture books and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches grant me just as much potential to hear, 'Well done, good and faithful servant' as I would if I performed brain surgery."

May stay-at-home moms under fire for this choice find encouragement.

The Mystery and Suspence of Dickens

It isn't often that my husband and I spend every night in a given week watching television. But this week we did. Each night we turned on our gas fireplace, lit a couple of candles, and fed our latest addiction: Bleak House.

In September, both Girl Talk and Danielle recommended the 2005 BBC mini-series. I immediately put it on hold at our local library. Because of its popularity, we were finally able to check it out last week. And, because it is in such demand, we were only able to keep it for a week before we had to return it for the next person in line.

Bleak House is based on the Charles Dickens' novel by the same name. The drama is a satire on the 19th century British legal system. Yet for viewers the true meat of the DVD series is not in a legal battle, but in the mystery involving Lady Deadlock and a stack of love letters.

The series pairs up a classic story with contemporary cinematography. Transitional shots are quick and darting, while a fair number of shots within scenes are partially obscured by some object in the forefront, such as a branch from a tree. This effect gives some of the scenes a feeling of voyeurism; like the audience is quietly, secretly watching the story unfold. While the style works overall, after multiple episodes, the obscuring gets a bit old.

The story is confusing for the first two or three episodes because there are several threads developing simultaneous and a huge cast of characters. My husband wasn't sure what was going on at first, but I told him to hang on, that the numerous storylines were puzzle pieces that would soon began to fit together. As they did, we found ourselves hooked.

As far as casting goes, it's superb. While the only actors I recognized were Gillian Anderson (known for her role on X-Files) and Carey Mulligan (from 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice), I thought each actor in the series did a remarkable job. Some of my favorites include Anderson as Lady Deadlock, Burn Gorman as Mr. Guppy, Anna Maxwell Martin as Esther Summerson, and Hugo Spear as Sergeant George.

Each episode builds in suspense until the last two. Episodes 14 and 15 are spent wrapping up the story. Honestly, after all the mystery and suspense, I found the ending to be somewhat of a let down.

For any of you who love classics and mystery, Bleak House is a must. It's not only well produced, directed, and acted, but it's a story viewers can learn from. It's a tale that illustrates well the danger of secret sin, the law of sowing and reaping, and the powerful influence and impact a honorable woman such as Esther Summerson can have on those around her.

Emily's Balloon

As one who's always loved picture books, I get excited about our weekly trips to the library. For me, there's such delight in searching through the shelves of children's books and looking for ones that appeal to my two-year-old Olivia's current interests.

Last week we picked out books about a train, a red apple, the moon, and a mouse. All of which Olivia managed to memorize and "read" to my husband and me last night before bed.

Today, the girls and I found two books: one about cars and the other about a balloon. Both subject matters of great interest to Olivia. We've yet to read the car book, but we did read Emily's Balloon before Olivia's nap. Written and illustrated by Komako Sakai, the book was named a winner in Child magazine's 6th Annual Best Children's Book Awards. And rightly so. The charcoal-hued drawings, which feature color here and there (such as the bright yellow balloon) are absolutely charming. I'd love to frame these pictures in Olivia's room.

The story itself is simple and sweet. It beautifully captures the pleasure a young child can find in a balloon.

It is also realistic. At one point, Emily lets go of her balloon and it flies to the ceiling. The only text on the page is: "Uh-oh." Then, on the next page, the same thing happens again. This time the text is "Again?" At our house, balloons always managed to find their way to the ceiling and events play out fairly similar to what happens in the book.

Another plus is that the book helps prepare young children for the possibility that a balloon they have in the future may fly away.

The only aspect of the story that bothered me was no father was mentioned, not even at the dinner table. It was simply Emily and her mother. When reading it to Olivia, I changed some of the words, telling her that Papa, instead of Mommy, would rescue her balloon. For at our house, Papa tends to be the hero.

But despite this, it is one of my favorite picture books to date. It's simple, charming, and sure to be read many times before finding its way back home to the library.

Ants'hillvania

On a shopping trip to our local Christian bookstore a few months ago, I purchased the 20th anniversary edition of Ants'hillvania. I remember listening to this audio production when I was a kid. So buying it was partly an act of nostalgia. However, it was also an effort to start introducing Olivia to more stories on CD. I wanted to get her imagination working as well as help her improve her listening skills.

Written by Jimmy and Carol Owens with Cherry Boone O'Neill (one of Pat Boone's daughters), Ants'hillvania is a musical take on the biblical story of the prodigal son. It centers around Antony, who decides he doesn't want to be like everyone else in the ant colony. Instead, he wants to be "independ-ant." He dreams of being rich and famous. Antony asks his father for his "share of the family fortune" and strikes out on his own on the garden path. Along the way, he mets characters including Mr. Worm and Miss Millipede. In the process he discovers that he's made poor choices.

Ants'hillvania is fun in its effort to teach kids about making wise choices. But, it's also a bit cheesy in parts. Adults can only take so much of the word "ant" being used continually. There's "Ant"ony, Command"ant", independ"ant", Bry"ant," and extravag"ant" to name a few.

Overall, Olivia loves this CD. She sings along to the "Work Song" and "Independ-ant's Song" and asks to listen to the production over and over again. Although each time she listens, she does ask me to skip over the track when Antony is trapped in the spider's cave.

As a mom, I don't mind listening to it multiple times because I love musicals. If you don't care so much for this genre, Ants'hillvania may very well drive you crazy.

The Great Barbie Debate

A few days ago I found myself observing my oldest daughter play with her Fisher-Price Learning House. She rang the doorbell, changed the stations on the radio, opened and closed the door, and checked the rain gutter for itsy bitsy spiders. At one point she even used her toy screwdriver to fix all the screws on the house. Watching her I realized that she was practicing and indeed preparing for the realities of life. I was reminded of my own childhood play and one of my then favorite toys: Barbie.

Over the years a great debate has occured regarding this popular toy by Mattel. Much ado has been focused on her unrealistic body proportions and her flawless appearance. Arguments range from the damaging affects Barbie has on the self-image of impressionable little girls to Barbie being a a negative role model in the area of goals and aspirations.

As a young girl, playing with Barbie was one of my favorite pastimes. I was unaware of her unmentionable identity prior to Mattel's purchase of her rights and subsequent makeover. I simply enjoyed pretending to be grown up when I played.

For me, Barbie provided an opportunity to establish a home, create a family, and interact with a community. Each time we played Barbies, my sister and I spent much time preparing. We gathered items from around the house and set up homes for our Barbies. We took the time to match them up in marriage with a Ken doll and give them children to parent. The improportionate figure and flawless beauty wasn't the focus of our play. Instead, the time we spent playing with an unrealistic doll was used in a very realistic manner.

According to Mary F. Longo of the University of Ohio Extension, "Children learn about the world and experience life through play." She says that "through play, children practice the roles they will play later in life." In thinking about it, I realized in her own way, Barbie helped prepare me for my role as a wife, mother, and a keeper of my home. The focus of my playtime with this doll was yet another way of turning my heart to what really mattered: family.

Does this mean I'm not concerned about the body image Barbie communicates and how it might affect my young daughters? Of course, I am. It's difficult enough to be female in our society without having to deal with dolls that paint a portrait of physical perfection. Yet, I don't believe Barbie should be dismissed solely on this criteria.

When my girls are old enough to play with Barbie, I see no problem in letting them do so (as long as their dolls of choice are modestly dressed). As I once did, perhaps they'll also enjoy preparing for a family of their own through play.

And, as they do play, there won't be a lack of guidance when it comes to beauty and how it relates to Barbie. I'll make sure that they know where true beauty lies: in a life spent loving and serving the Lord.

But for now, Barbie is a toy a few years away from making an appearance in our playroom. For now my girls seem much more interested in cars, trains, and tools.