For the last week I have been reading 20 some odd pages of comments on an article about Mormon mommy blogs. The point of the article was that this woman who is an atheist liberal feminist likes to read these happy Mormon mommy blogs and doesn't understand why. I thought it was a pretty good article but then the comments devolved into all the bad things about Mormons and what kind of people we are and what kind of evil church it is.
It really made my week kind of horrible, mostly because I opened myself up to all these opinions about me that are based on their own perceptions. I am a stay at home mom, my life is supposedly meaningless and I'm not even pulling my own weight. One person commented on how he would love to stay home and be taken care of and not contribute and I'm pretty irresponsible because I had 4 kids. I really don't understand this attitude. I am sick and tired of the stereoptype.
I am not a stereotype. My church did not make me get married at 19. My church did not make me be a stay at home mom and just pop out babies. My husband does not tell me that to do. I do not have a quota of how many people I have to convert every year. I love others and I try not to judge others for making different choices than myself. I want women to educate themselves but will never expect them to do what I do. I am a woman who cares deeply. I am a woman who loves her children and husband. I do not love crafts or housework but I love to have a clean house. I am eager to learn as much about the world as I can. I want to learn and see as many cultures as I can. I want to be a that friend others need.
I am tired of caring about what others expect of me. I will be the best woman, wife and mother that I can be.
I will not let others bring me down just because I made choices in my life that they don't agree with.
These are some of the thoughts I had running through my head this week to me and anyone else who is tired of being a stereotype or judged because of the choices we make. We cannot give the power away. We need to love ourselves and do the best we can and that's all we can expect.
