Why Work is Important by Barbara Poland-Waters

I found the reasons listed for “Why Work is Important” to be very interesting. Many of them resonated with my own personal experiences. Obviously, most people work in order to earn money and pay bills, but even when money is not as scarce, some people may work in order to feel useful or to have something to do every day. Since my son has been in elementary school, and I have been a “stay-at-home-mom,” most of my days have been free and unscheduled. Unless I’ve had doctors’ appointments or errands to do, I have spent my days taking care of my pets, working our garden or working on my art. My self-esteem has been affected by this situation, because although I am aware that raising my son is a very important job and don’t look down upon anyone who chooses to stay home to care for their children, I don’t often feel that I have a concrete goal to achieve and I tend to feel I haven’t “done enough” on certain days. After years of living like this, I think that having a more structured day and a purpose beyond raising my son can be useful to me and help me to feel like I am accomplishing something important. I think there are other women who may be in a similar situation as me and may define themselves by what their husband does. I think that is an old-fashioned and outdated perspective and I don’t subscribe to that belief. I don’t gain any type of self-worth just because I am married and my husband has a good job. But I do think that having a regular position could help me feel more worthwhile, especially if I am helping others while I am working. In addition, being at home most of the days while my husband and son are out of the house can be very isolating. I am not originally from this area and have struggled over the years to make connections with parents of my son’s classmates. There have been many days where I have had no other adults to talk to (especially if my husband is working late) and found myself feeling rather lonely. Working at a regular job could provide me with opportunities to socialize or connect with people outside of the world of my son’s school, thereby increasing my quality of life.