cover image Staying Home: From Full-Time Professional to Full-Time Parent

Staying Home: From Full-Time Professional to Full-Time Parent

Darcie Sanders. Little Brown and Company, $19.95 (239pp) ISBN 978-0-316-77061-3

According to freelance writer Sanders and Bullen, who serves with FEMALE, the national mothers's association, more and more of today's mothers are opting for full-time parenthood. Far from being unliberated drudges, the 600 women surveyed for this book are well-educated, enlightened professionals who want to do right by their children and have found that motherhood can be just as challenging as an outside career. Sanders and Bullen show readers what it takes to ``have it all but not all at once,'' including making the transition, letting go of outmoded ``happy housewife'' stereotypes and coping with the reactions of family, friends, co-workers and, of course, spouses. The authors write with realism, presenting the negative aspects of staying at home as well as its advantages. They provide a wealth of information on finding support groups, influencing public policy, and earning money while remaining at home; the book includes listings and short descriptions of relevant organizations, plus in-depth interviews with women who have successfully made the transition. A must for all mothers who are (or want to be) at home with their children. (Aug.)