Years ago Sally and I put together a list of costs and benefits of a mother working outside of the home. During our early marriage years mothers were strongly advised by prophets, seers, revelators and general church leaders to stay at home and invest in the rising generation. However, Sally was training as a medical doctor and was advised by an apostle to finish the course that she had started - my question that was not answered was, when does that course end - with graduation, or does it include her working as a doctor? The Spirit spoke to me that Zion would be made the more glorious by mothers working as nurses, teachers, doctors, and even Relief Society presidents! They all spend time outside their homes, and the benefit is not just to self, but to community. We were blessed in that I could go to work early and return home early and Sally could go to treat patients in the evening whilst I took over the supper and evening parental duties, thus enabling Sally to spend as much time as possible as a mother whilst also serving as a doctor.
I emphasize that a mother is in no way a second-class citizen! She is helping to prepare leaders for the future of community, country, and Zion. She is performing great and noble work that includes accounting, crafts, catering, health-care, and so much more! A mother with good education will be so much more competent in rearing those leaders of the future.
One very important thing that I realised is that there is a big difference between a mother working for minimum wage and one with qualifications that enable her to earn as much in two or three hours in a week and stay at home for most of the time!
However, we continued to advise others to invest in their children rather than in fancy clothes, cars, homes, or anything else. We listed things like the following that are costs that have to be balanced against the benefits of working.
Tithing
Tax
Transport
Clothing for protection and appearance
Health and well-being, often strained by the pressures of working
Mental wellness
Child care
Domestic worker to make up for what the mother is not at home to do
If I find that list I shall add the details that we put together. But the important thing is that if a mother takes away all of these costs from all of the income and will be making R500 profit in the month, is there some way to earn R500 by doing something at home with far less expenses?
Things that one can do at home include sewing, knitting, cooking, gardening, writing, bookkeeping, being a family history consultant, and such like - partly to provide for mothers that are working and not able to do these things for herself and her family!
The most important thing that I realise is that we are constantly counselled to get a good education. This means that we will earn better in an hour than without that education, we will be better valued and thus more likely to be retained at work, maybe promoted. And we will almost certainly earn far more in an hour than someone who lacks basic skills and knowledge. Education does not necessarily mean university - the world needs competent carpenters, plumbers, mechanics, hairdressers, seamstresses, and so forth.
My mother often said that the world needs street sweepers - but, more importantly, the world needs excellent street sweepers! We should all be striving to be excellent in whatever we do, and increasing education in our chosen field is going to make us more valued and employable. PathwayConnect is a truly valuable way to make ourselves more profitable employees.
My mind always comes back to the command to Adam and Eve to eat their bread by the sweat of their faces, and in the process to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the Earth, to subdue it and have dominion over it. That is so much more than the command to the animals to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. We have a greater call - to even make the desert blossom as a rose. This takes effort and expertise - and faith and faithfulness. Let us gain that expertise and put forth that effort and faith so that we will multiply our talents and warrant the commendation of the Creator of all that we have, even 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant.' May we be able to hand over to Him wonderful fruits so that we, as a fruitful bough that is dependent on the vine can add glory to the vine by all of the fruits that we produce.
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