"Someone retorted to me that they believed, because I am childless, and therefore not contributing to 'the pool of future citizens' at present, I should have to pay extra taxes that should go toward mothers whose goal in life is to be a stay at home mother."

Now, what fool said this? I believe there are enough people in jail raised by stay-at-home moms to disprove that theory. Just because you are lucky enough to have someone else (or something else) supporting your choice to stay home and raise your kids doesn't mean you can't suck at it. A working mom who makes time for and relates to her kids is worth a handful of stay at homes suckin down a brew while their kids run screaming thru the neighborhood. Or the mom who sets a wonderful example by putting up with an abusive partner because he brings home the bacon. And what about the littl' darlins' with moms who sacrifice everything - even their backbone? These overindulged little creeps are a boon to society?

Let's stop comparing today's stay at home moms with the previous generations - you know, the one's without automatic washer/dryers, wrinkle-free clothing, microwaves, freezers, vacuum cleaners, stain-resistant carpets and furniture, washable wall paint, voicemail, and a myriad of cleaning products that cut the time and elbow grease required in half, if not more? Try cleaning the way your mother and grandmother did. Or cooking a meal. Or doing the laundry. Or just curling your damn hair.

And what about TV's, vcr's, dvd's, video games, iPods, and a hundred other distractions for the kids? Formula? Disposable diapers? Baby monitors? Crib toys?

Being a good mother has nothing to do with how many hours you stay home. It's how much you love your kids, tolerate your kids, pay attention to your kids, relate to their needs, know your kids. That's the choice you make, not how many hours you spend at home.

I've done both. Stayed at home, and worked outside the home. Both can be damn hard. Because of how you do it, not which one you do.

And hooray for those who chose to be childless, or chose to wait to have kids. Crankin' em out ain't hard to do. Any fool with a working reproductive system can do that. Putting a little thought into it, now that takes work.