Dara Torres-Amazing

I could further digress (I like swimming too) and say something about which I've recently been thinking. I think we are living in the most "kid-centered" society ever. Never before have we obsessed so much about kids. Not that it's all necessarily a bad thing. I'd much rather not have kids out in the fields working from age 3, but I'm also not sure that our current climate doesn't encourage raising kids who are less fit for "real life." I stay at home because that's what my mom did and I like seeing my kids during the day. Would they be ruined in some way if I worked full-time outside the home? I don't necessarily think so. Sometimes I realize that it's almost as easy to be caught up in my own thing while I'm at home (as I sit here writing with the kids watching SpongeBob)... I'm not sure there is one right way to do much of anything. Dr. Laura seems to think there is one formula that everyone should adhere to. I think that's much too rigid. I know this is "drifting" a bit from the thread topic...but it's an interesting track given the hero/role model status being debated here. As I said before its hard to compare yourself to someone who lives such a completely different life...and in a completely different world than most people. Regarding the stay at home part of this...have had some conversations with my young (19), recently married niece about this stuff...here's one of the topics: "Cost of being a stay-at-home mom: $1 million" articles.moneycentral.msn.com/.../CostOfBeingAStayAtHomeMom.aspx

I could further digress (I like swimming too) and say something about which I've recently been thinking. I think we are living in the most "kid-centered" society ever. Never before have we obsessed so much about kids. Not that it's all necessarily a bad thing. I'd much rather not have kids out in the fields working from age 3, but I'm also not sure that our current climate doesn't encourage raising kids who are less fit for "real life." I stay at home because that's what my mom did and I like seeing my kids during the day. Would they be ruined in some way if I worked full-time outside the home? I don't necessarily think so. Sometimes I realize that it's almost as easy to be caught up in my own thing while I'm at home (as I sit here writing with the kids watching SpongeBob)... I'm not sure there is one right way to do much of anything. Dr. Laura seems to think there is one formula that everyone should adhere to. I think that's much too rigid. I know this is "drifting" a bit from the thread topic...but it's an interesting track given the hero/role model status being debated here. As I said before its hard to compare yourself to someone who lives such a completely different life...and in a completely different world than most people. Regarding the stay at home part of this...have had some conversations with my young (19), recently married niece about this stuff...here's one of the topics: "Cost of being a stay-at-home mom: $1 million" articles.moneycentral.msn.com/.../CostOfBeingAStayAtHomeMom.aspx