Mr. Reid, who says a woman can’t have both… children and a career? Wake up! We are about to enter a new millennium and it sounds as if you are still stuck in the dark ages. Did you actually mean what you said or were you guided by some personal vendetta? Because as you would know very well, some children who are abandoned by their parents are raised by their grandmothers, aunts or even older sisters, who most of the time are working women. What if these relatives said, “Sorry, but I have a career and I’m unwilling to mind these children”? Literally thousands of Belizean children would be homeless. It amazes me that you keep throwing stones at the very people who have been helping you! Who did you turn to recently to help you in your successful court case? The woman attorney is a hardworking single parent respected by virtually everyone in this society.

You are entitled to your views, but your commentary came at a time when women were celebrating their accomplishments and highlighting the fact that there are a wide range of non-traditional careers available to them. Women’s Week was not just about professional advances, but about the status of women in general. A walk down the streets of any town or village in Belize will remind us that there are thousands of women who must sell food on the street corner, clean other people’s homes, clean our parks, or worse our drains and canals. The truly desperate sell their bodies. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds these sisters survive and hold their families together.

But as obvious as all this seems, apparently there are some men who still cling to the myths of a bygone time. G. Mike, do you honestly believe that all mothers who stay home spend their days singing lullabies and reading to their kids? The reality is that the mothers at home work just as hard as those in the workforce and are often too tired looking after everyone else to do all the wonderful things you imagine they do. Sure they are good moms, but they are not the dreamy maternal angels you imagine them to be. Nor are the working women the heartless, self-centered creatures you envision. For your information, working mothers spend a large part of their day wishing they were with their children and make every effort to spend quality time with them when they do get home. This despite having to do the household cooking, washing and cleaning after they leave their jobs.

Contrary to what you may think, the vast majority of children whose mothers work do not turn out to be juvenile delinquents and appreciate the sacrifices their mothers made to raise them. As one of our website viewers wrote concerning your views: and I quote “The most effective editorialists base their opinions on solid foundation of fact.” end quote. Since you failed to document it, I have no idea where you got your notion that only a few children of working mothers turn out alright. If you care to do an informal survey, I suggest you listen to the people around you expressing their appreciation for their moms this Mother’s Day. You may want to note too the huge difference in the way Mothers’ Day is celebrated in Belize as compared to Fathers’ Day. Just a thought.

This leads me to your comments about fathers who have to be chased down not wanting their children anyway. You stated that women should learn how to use birth control and implied that children who are born when the mother fails to use the pill, or it fails her, are not wanted by their fathers. Seems to me you are confusing the issue of unwanted children with unwanted maintenance payments. There are far too many Belizean fathers — many of them well known personalities — who want all the benefits of fatherhood, with none of the financial responsibility.

I appeal to all men who are not ready for fatherhood to make sure you use some kind of protection. Remember, no matter how badly a woman wants a child, she cannot get pregnant alone. It takes more than wishes. And taking a few minutes to put on a condom can prevent years of unwanted responsibility and unjustified resentment.

I do agree with you G. Mike that it would be a good idea for men to come together and form associations to talk about issues that affect them. Not only can they talk about the Family Court but also Belizean men’s reluctance to take responsibility for birth control. I would also urge you and other men to start talking to each other about a far more serious problem: men hunting little girls for sport. Seems to me the increasing number of men who think it is okay to rape our 14, 12 and even 10 year old girls and impregnate their own daughters and nieces is a far more serious threat to society than moms who want to work.

But to get back to the point which offended so many of us in your audience G. Mike. You suggest that while men can have it all, a woman really has only two options: a family or a job. Well thank you for considering my children’s welfare, but I will choose both. I am so much looking forward to motherhood and I plan to work and take care of my baby at the same time. I believe that I am mature enough to handle both. I have seen the women around me, including Jackie Woods who has two beautiful boys, do it successfully. Granted it is a difficult balancing act; everyday my female friends tell me this. Some do it not by choice but simply because the men they once trusted betrayed that trust. Of course most women would prefer a man to be beside them, sharing in the joys of parenthood, but frankly it’s hard in this society to find a man who is man enough.

But there are wonderful fathers out there, make no mistake. And they need to be acknowledged. For the past twenty-four years I have had one of the very best men in my life. Together he and my mom made sure I grew up the right way. I hope my child will be lucky enough to have a man like my Dad, but sad to say even a seemingly stable marriage is no guarantee that Daddy will stick around.

To all the working moms, especially the single mothers, keep your heads up. Don’t let anyone make you feel like what you are doing is wrong. To those contemplating motherhood, whether in this century or the next, no matter what G. Michael Reid says you don’t have to make a choice between your children and a career. You can love them both. For proof, just look around you.