“…not the Hillary Clinton type.’… ‘You know, women who don’t care about their families.’”

I’m an investigator so I don’t know many LDS, but oh my garsh, are there really people who think this way in this day and age?

Tony, alas, there are still people who think this way, in and out of the Mormon church. Fortunately, there is nothing in Mormon doctrine or scripture that requires or encourages these folk beliefs.

I think it boils down to the fact that – for whatever reason – for some, it seems to feel easier to worry about someone else’s life instead of their own. Great post, Karen, thanks for sharing.

I honestly think that in some ways we define ourselves in opposition to others. As LDS people, we do focus on the blessings of family. As a result, we seem to be stronger when we are fighting against others who do not value families. As I tried to point out, I think this has led to the unfortunate habit of creating straw men (or in this case straw women) that are easy to attack, albeit not an accurate reflection of reality. It’s easy to uphold motherhood against women who care more about glamour than children…it’s not as easy to address real issues: financial difficulties, post-partum depression, cheating spouses, lack of time, and baby poop. (Just go visit FMH for excellent humor and discussion.) However, when we create and attack stereotypes, we’re necessarily pulling in people who don’t deserve an attack. As always, pleas for faithfulness should be done with loving kindness and extreme thoughtfulness for audience. We can expect no less of ourselves as Christians.

Incidentally, I’d like at some point to have a discussion regarding non-LDS women professionals who have the same concerns about child rearing as we do. We’re not alone in our struggle for strong families, and I think that recognizing strength outside the church, rather than labeling perceived selfishness, would be wise.

DUH. I’m not sure why I wrote that.

You should be proud of all your accomplishments. I think the root of most of the suspicion toward singles in the Church is pure jealousy. The grass is always greener on the other side, and marriage can be incredibly hard sometimes.