Doctor Grandma

I think of writing about my 11 years as a stay-at-home-mom, the poorest years of our lives, and we had 4 kids. Some people were mad at us for having 4 kids. Said we couldn’t afford it. I hung clothes out on the line, washed cloth diapers, had a kitchen with wooden floors…… and still I refused to “go to work”. These were my babies. Besides, how would working be possible with 4 children? It was not possible. The structure of our society says we can pay for childcare. It says who are we to want assistance? We should figure it out. I played with my kids, had lovely days where time stood still, I made baby food, baked our own crackers. My husband worked sometimes 2 jobs. Once I determined to return to work, I went back part-time, then 30 hours, then finally 40 hrs/week. I had anxiety to be out in public alone, no child in tow. I imagine everyone was staring at me. Eventually, I went back to school, got 3 degrees including the top of the line PhD and became a professor. When I quit my full-time job I had for 15 years in order to finish the PhD, I had just come over the top of earning $21,000 a year. Yes. That’s right, that’s what women do, right? “Support” the family income. I worked to maintain health insurance for all. Fast forward to today, I earn 3X that much and have had a career for a good 11 years now. Life is an amazing journey. I fully remember getting my first car in my own name. It was a Dodge Neon, white. I was over 50 yrs. old. I loved that car. And if I could go back to any one time of my life?? I would give anything to go back to a day with my little ones, in the house with a wooden plank kitchen floor. But each age is different. Yesterday I spent over an hour on the phone with the IRS. Evidently because I had the AUDACITY to list MY NAME FIRST on our tax return, they couldn’t figure out where our money went. We’ve been married for 40+ years. We are one entity. But because I put my name FIRST… they couldn’t find us. I am 65 years old. How dare I put my name first on our joint, married, tax return. This is the end of my story! I’m about to end the Baha’i fast for the day!