Mommy Wars

While I was feeding Patrick this morning, I had the Today Show on in the background. They were doing a report about something they called "mommy wars." The report discussed the animosity between working moms and stay-at-home moms. The psychologist they interviewed suggested that the animosity stems from some level of unsatisfaction about the decision whether or not to work. Each kind of mom feels the need to defend her choice, even if it is a choice made from necessity, both to herself and others. A part of every mom feels like she is missing out on something as a result of that choice, the psychologist suggested.

First of all, I didn't even realize there was a war going on. I have complete respect for all the working moms out there. I know not everybody can stay at home with their kids, for either financial reasons or otherwise. Maybe I'm just too secluded or too new to this mommy thing to know about this war going on around me. I think a larger part of it, though, is that I am completely satisfied with my decision to stay home with Patrick. I don't feel the need to defend myself because I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by not working. I didn't particularly love working before becoming a mommy, and now I get the chance to do what I've always wanted to do. Could it be that my complete satisfaction is what allows me to be so open-minded to my working mommy friends? Either way, the psychologist must have been generalizing to say that all moms second-guess their decision whether or not to work. Then again, I've never really been normal.

And here's what you've all been waiting for. I have a few pictures from the weekend to post. We didn't take too many on our camera because there were so many other cameras there, but I may collect a few more from the other photographers there later. In other words, this may not be the end of the wedding pictures.

Here's Patrick in his rehearsal dinner outfit.

And Patrick in his tiny tux

Here's Patrick hanging out with his great-grandmother after the wedding.

And Patrick posing with Nana after the wedding--Isn't my mom gorgeous here?

And finally, here's the obligatory four-generation picture. (Yes, finally I have posted a picture of myself. It's not the best, as it was taken at the end of a very long day, but at least my hair was pretty.)