[...] Church of the Latter Day Saints is one that grabbed my attention. I was wondering what a typical Mormon woman thought of the aspect of polygamy, as it is incredibly difficult to find a comment on the internet [...]

[...] you are interested in checking out more about Mormon women, we also have a Facebook group, so please feel free to visit.  The group is associated with the [...]

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Momma always sayud, crazy is as crazy does.

mormons are craaazzzzy

Thank you for expressing your interest, Emily. We welcome feedback from you, and we hope you will keep reading.

This was very interesting for me to read – I am not mormon, but have a curiosity about the religion and beliefs, and your post and blog are very interesting.

Megan and Lynn, thank you both for your comments. I agree wholeheartedly with you both.

Lynn, you are right–women are not doing their children or society any favors if they stop short of their potential. That is one of the best things about being an LDS woman/mother–we are expected to become complete, intelligent and talented individuals. We aren’t just reproducing because we’re mammals, we are building the future. And we have to have all sorts of skills and talents at our disposal to be able to do the job well. Artistic, musical, psychological, academic, medical, logistical, mechanical, culinary. . . great mothers are great at a lot of things.

I guess the paradigm shift that I had as I’ve thought about this issue is that being a mother is every bit as challenging, rewarding and stimulating as being in the “work force”. Its just not a really public position and no one is going to promote you for your excellence. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t strive for excellence in all areas that my job touches (which is, really, endless).

Thanks again for your comments. it was good to revisit this idea in my mind.

Lynn,

Thank you so much for your comments and insight!

One of the most amazing things about nurturing and raising children has to be the ability to pass on knowledge. As you pointed out, we are no longer in a hunter-gatherer type world and therefore, mothers today do more than raise daughters to be proficient in the kitchen and sons to go out with the men and hunt. One great blessing about being a mother in this modern era is that I get to impart to my children the knowledge I have gained through my own life experiences – academic studies, jobs, practical life lessons, all of it. Therefore, I find being a stay at home wife and mother an incredibly challenging and extremely fulfilling role. And in the process of raising my children to be contributing members of society, I expand my own horizons constantly. I get involved in church, community, school functions, and so on and contribute to others’ lives in meaningful ways. I continue to learn and grow; I do not just stagnate.

You said, “Yet many women choose to fulfill only their basal role of nurturing children, instead of pursuing anything beyond that task.” The point I want to make here, is that fulfilling that base role as a mother CAN be pursuing other things as well. A mother can do SO many things to enrich her own mind and experiences and the lives of her family. You also said, “What can we teach a child if we ourselves have stopped short of our own potential?” I agree wholeheartedly and that’s why we don’t just stop short of our own potential! We keep studying and learning and developing and that is an example to our children. A woman today can stay in the home and be incredibly successful, both in raising children and in her own individual development and still contribute in many capacities to the community and world around her.

I believe Jan wanted to highlight that the same instinct, as you acknowledged as biologically present, is also spiritually present: part of being a woman is the desire to nurture and love. What can be more glorious than creating a loving home, having beautiful babies and watching those babies grow up to be successful adults? What can better help our spiritual progression than the selflessness and humility one learns firsthand as a parent, knowing that you need God’s inspiration and guidance to succeed?