Now, that's not to say that I don't think an education is important. I know that it is, and the fact of the matter is that, though I pray it is never known by my children, that divorce and death of a spouse could be realities for each of them. For this reason, alone, they should have something to fall back on. However, my problem is that I have a hard time encouraging my eldest daughter to pursue a career as a doctor. That's alot of education and expense that I wonder is really necessary.
It's not that I'm not proud of her ambition. I am. I just wonder is there really a purpose in spending that much money, if she should be in the home as the caregiver in the family? I know what some of you may be thinking, and that is how can I sit there and say that a woman's place is in the home? The bible says it, that's how.
the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5 NKJV (emphasis mine)
I also worked outside the home for a long time, and can say from experience, that I was not doing my job effectively as the primary caregiver while I did so. Perhaps there are those of you out there that do a better job at it than I did, and I commend you for that. The fact of the matter is though, that many women cannot.
My problem is not the cost of tuition for her to become a doctor either. She already has the funds available to her that could cover most of her college costs, if she were wise in how she went about it. (She inherited it. This inheritance is also available to her in one third parts at ages 25, 30 and 35 if she does not use it all, or chooses not to go to college.)
How would you reconcile what you believe to be the true calling of a woman, and the ambition of your daughters? I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as I'm really having difficulty with it. I want to be supportive of her dreams and her goals for her life, but I also want her to know the joy of being a Stay At Home Mom, and the rewards of watching her children grow up, under her guidance, not someone else's. (She tells me that she DOES want to be a mother.) How do I encourage both? Any thoughts? I have a few more years before I'm faced with this for my next eldest daughter, but for now, worrying about it with the one is driving me nutty.
