Must Be Nice…

"Do you feel like getting your master's degree was a waste of time?"

Nothing conveys a lack of respect for the job of mothering more than this jab. "As one of the moms in my book says, 'I'd get more respect if I said I was raising chinchillas instead of human beings,'" says Steiner, who notes that this comment also presumes that the ultimate goal of getting more education is inflating one's paycheck. "Raising children well is hard, priceless work, but our capitalistic society places more value on entrepreneurship and money-making," adds Steiner. And as Usdansky points out, "Lots of stay-at-home moms aspire to do interesting part-time work, but what's available is usually a step down, not in a professional area, or not challenging." Besides, many women hope to resume their careers once their kids are in school.