Did God Allow The Pandemic To Get Moms Home Again?

Do you ever wonder if God allowed the Covid-19 outbreak, to get moms “back home?”

I wonder this.

I’ve been thinking about it more often lately.

As a working mom of three children and also a strong believer, I ponder if the pandemic was always part of the big plan. His plan.

Don’t get me wrong. I do not believe God sets out to “cause harm.”

But I do believe he ALLOWS bad things to happen to rebirth us, in His vision. Let me explain.

 

But before we dive in, let’s talk numbers to give this idea some context.

From February 2020 through October 2020, 2.2 million women left the workforce.

2.2 Million, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

Now that’s a big number.

 

And in a Washington Post article titled, “Coronavirus child-care crisis will set women back a generation,” pointed out, “One out of four women who reported becoming unemployed during the pandemic said it was because of a lack of child care—twice the rate among men.”

So bottom line, many working mothers are quitting to take care of their kids.

Moms are returning home to be moms, in this case, out of pure necessity.

They are helping with home-school and appointments and bedtime again.

They are present again for the day to day workings of what’s happening in the home.

Of course, this scenario may present new stress, such as lack of a second income or too much together time … but I also wonder if it is having a positive effect on some children who are now getting the attention they lacked?

And is this helping women not feel so overwhelmed with “doing it all?”

Perhaps a little void is being filled that a mom and a child didn’t even realize needed to be filled?

I wish I could ask God all these questions.

 

I understand I am getting old, but I think how simple life used to be.

And I think how complicated it can be now.

Looking back, the feminist movement started in 1948. 

And in the 1960s, the Women’s rights movement took center stage. Ever since then, women have been consistently migrating to the workforce and away from home. Every human has their own opinion of whether that is a good or bad thing. My opinion on this tends to fluctuate back and forth because I see the pros and cons of being a working mom and stay-at-home mom.

But I know this to be fact – here we are in 2021, with many households operating on little sleep and two working parents. (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women – as of December 2020 – hold about HALF of all American jobs, excluding farm workers and the self-employed.)

But let’s be honest. Two parents working outside the home while raising kids is hard.

Speaking from my personal experience, I have been in corporate America for 23 years. My oldest son is 11. Then I have an 8-year-old. And a 5-year-old. So they only know me as “a working mom.”

I feel like I do a decent job of “balancing life,” but that title still comes with a price tag.

Yes, I can afford to take them on memorable vacations and save up for their college fund, but I can’t help to wonder what is sacrificed for that level of comfort?

Like anything in life, there is always the gimme and a gotcha. Meaning, there is always a trade-off for working moms AND stay-at-home moms.

But in my case, I many times wonder if my kids would be “calmer” if I was around more?

Would they not fight with each other as much, if I was home more?

Would my marriage be smoother if I was home, handling all of the thousands of daily projects and errands that come with raising children?

With both parents working, life is chaotic and exhausting. No one ever gets a break.

And with two working parents, tempers are shorter, time is more limited, and emotional needs are not always met. It’s harder for a spouse to pour into another spouse when both are running on empty.

And let me be clear, I also see the value in being a working mom – I pray my children will see that women can be independent and helpers at the same time. They can be game-changers in the workplace and serve others for the betterment of a community. They can financially contribute at home while at the same time, pushing for positive advancements for future generations of daughters and nieces.

There are so many questions that I don’t know the answer to that right now.

But I do believe the old saying that everything happens for a reason. And what if the pandemic was a reason to get moms home again?

 

When I scroll through social media and look at the generation of kids today, I worry.

So many are lost.

Plain lost.

They are spiritually, emotionally, sexually, and mentally confused.

They are dealing with too much technology.

Too much medicine.

And too much gray area on the moral compass.

Suicide rates amongst children have been rising since 2007, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Cyberbullying is a pandemic all on its own.

Racial and political tensions are raging in kids just as much as they are felt by adults.

Of course, this is not all children. I never paint humans with a wide brush.

I realize there are so many well-rounded, God-loving, smart and motivated children out there too. Children who fight for our planet, social justice, and each other. Children who are going to grow up and change this world for the better. I certainly hope my three little ones will fall into this group.

But seeing all the children on the straight and narrow path doesn’t mean I can just ignore the abundance of others who have lost their way.

I don’t claim to know all the answers. Really, I don’t claim to know any of the answers. These are just things I ponder late at night, like tonight.

And with that, I will leave you with a quote I recently heard on CNN in a story about so many women leaving the workforce because of the pandemic …

“The US job market may never be the same.”

But in my mind, maybe that’s a good thing.

Because of the global pandemic – this generation of children may never be the same either.

Millions of children have their moms back home with them.

And maybe that’s God’s way of telling the world what He needs.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts ….

For more of my writing, find me at nicoleallshouse.com