I’m a child of the ’50s. Born in 1952,I came of age at the peak of the women’s movement, devouring every issue of Ms. Magazine, proudly telling people I was a feminist. I knew I wanted to be a writer. But I also expected to be a mother. From the time I was a toddler, my parents had trained me to follow my stay-at-home mother’s example. Yes, writing and music were fine, as long as they didn’t interfere with a woman’s primary job: taking care of her home, husband and children. We’re glad you’re getting good grades in school, and it’s nice that you got your poem published, but can you bake a cake? Can you hem a skirt? Can you diaper a baby? TV shows and movies from the 1950s and ’60s formed me in the Doris Day mold. Whatever else I might want to do, I would get married and have children.

It didn’t turn out that way.

How about you? I know I’m older than many of my readers, so maybe your experiences were different. Were you raised to be a mom or was that just one of many options? I’d love to hear what you have to say on this.

Copyright Sue Fagalde Lick 2011