The mommy guilt in me is getting smaller and smaller...

I always hated to admit that, and always that I was in the minority because, I don't like spending all day alone with Desmond.  I'd rather be doing something more...not more worthwhile...but more mentally and spiritually enriching for a while.  Every day that I have time to do things that are for my sake and interest, I feel better...more relaxed.  Slightly happier.  And, as the saying goes, if mama's happy, then the whole family is happy.  

So, just when I was feeling like a sorry prat for walking around, woe is me-ing about how awful of a mother I am for wanting to be apart from Desmond and wondering how nature didn't figure her shit out and prevent me from ovulating at that exact moment because she should've known I would've been a shit mom, I read this gem:

12.14.11 New study finds working moms are happier and fare better health-wise than their stay-at-home counterparts.

A happy mom is a working mom, MSNBC.com and other news outlets report. According to a new study, published in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Family Psychology, moms who work outside the home at least part time report being less depressed and healthier than moms who stay home with young children.

However, "this benefit of working did not extend into children's school years," MSNBC reports. Stay-at-home moms face a higher risk of social isolation than working moms, increasing their chances of developing depression—not to mention the added stress of being at home all day with a child.

Moms who worked part time tended to have fewer work and family conflicts and were more involved in their child's schooling than their full-time peers.

For stay-at-home moms, "the stress may be relieved somewhat when their children start school, which may explain why the link disappeared when children entered preschool," MSNBC reports.

Yes, a mom's job can be stressful and thankless at times (a previous study put a $122,732 annual price tag on the work that moms do at home). However, we're sure everyone can agree that it's also one of the best times in a woman's life that no one would trade.

Kind of makes sense, doesn't it?  I know loads of SAHMs out there who are absolutely wonderful at raising their children mostly by themselves and their children are fantastic (and lucky!)  But for the lot of us who have certain, er, negative emotions that arise when they are caring for their child day in and day out, work provides us with a respite to do something that takes our minds off everything and produces an end product that adds to our self worth. 

Hopefully, this will be added to the burgeoning body of evidence that shows that women are happy when they are allowed to combine her work life and her baby life in a way to make it meaningful to her and contribute to her self worth (and productivity).  Women are more than just mothers and they're more than just their job.  Both are equally important parts of their lives and should be nurtured and cared for by society and not denigrated for choosing any one over the other.