Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / May 11, 2005, edition 1 / Page 17
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Untitled Document http://www.meredith.edu/herald/heraldfeatures.htm to see Meredith women using their summers in so many different ways. Just as I always ask everyone, “What are you doing this summer?” Return to Top Dialogue on Mr. Mom By Sydney Simpson Last Wednesday, Meredith students were presented with an alternate possibility of raising a family. The Dialogue Series presented the panel discussion “Possibilities: Career, Family, Balance: Part 2,” which was sponsored by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development and the Career Center. The panel featured three married couples who chose to have the fathers stay at home with the children and the mothers to work outside the home. Amy Losordo of the Career Center said that many working fathers would be happy to quit their jobs and stay home with their kids. Losordo said she came about gathering people for the panel through networking, and she chose these couples bccause their children represent different age groups. The panel consisted of three couples: Scott and Amy Boaz, Lyrm and Lee Ann Fogwell, and Tim and Sally Hackett. Scott and Amy Boaz have been married for 10 years. They have two small children, a two year old and a 10 month old. Amy had just started her career when they decided to have kids. She got laid off, found out she was pregnant six months later, and got a job four months after that. The couple decided that who would stay home with the kids would be based on who was better able to support the family. As the moment, Amy’s job provides better financial support for the family. She said that it is “much easier to work than to stay at home with the family.” Lynn and Lee Ann Fogwell have two kids, one is 14 and one is 17. Lynn worked full-time and Lee Ann worked part-time, but they both wanted one of them to stay home with the kids. Lynn quit his job because he did not have time to see his kids; he began to home school his children and is now very involved with the home schooling community in Raleigh. He said that experiencing both having a job and staying at home has given him “more appreciation of the difficulties of both things.” Tim and Sally Hackett have two kids, and Tim has been home with the kids for eight years. Sally had the jobs with better benefits, and it worked out financially for her to stay home. Tim said staying home with the kids was great because “I got to see things many dads haven’t, like first steps and first words.” All of the men said they had to face many annoying questions from people who are not familiar with their lifestyle, but they all take pride in their kids. Scott Boaz said that sticking to a strict routine is very important in keeping order in his household. “It’s harder than any job I’ve had, but easier because it’s rewarding,” he said. Boaz said that his wife likes getting all the attention when she comes home from work, and he likes it because “I’m off.” He said that, unlike some misconceptions people have, he really does work; he does all of the housework and cooks all of the meals. He wants his wife to come home and not have to worry about anything but “mom time.” All of the couples stressed having a good, concrete, stable marriage. They all had time to develop 4of5 5/11/2005 1:13 PM
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