I Stand Here Ironing

The events of this story could and do occur today. Today, our economy almost requires families to provide two sources of income to support a family. Everything has increased in price accept wages. The mother of this story obviously loves her daughter. Page 283, "I nursed all the children, but with her, with all the fierce rigidity of first motherhood, I did like all the books then said." This mother had to struggle with working during the time of depression. She had to juggle working and leaving her child with somebody else to care for her during that time. She shows signs of extreme guilt that goes along with the extreme fast-pace of her life that was required to survive. On page 284, paragraph 5, "She was two. Old enough for nursery school they said, and I did not know then what I now now - the fatigue of the long day, and the lacerations of group life in the kinds of nurseries that are only parking places for children." This occurs now in our society every day. Parents are forced to leave their children with daycare. Some daycares being better than others. I personally found myself in this situation a few couple of years ago with my children. My children hated their daycare and I kept sending them because we needed the money and I couldn't find another daycare to take three children. Because my children hated their daycare so much, my husband and I decided to pull the purse strings tighter and I quit my job. The last day of daycare my daughter who was five months old at the time had an "accident". The daycare provided accidently dropped her. Her head started to swell that night and I had to take her to the emergency room. She was hospitalized for three days until the swelling was down and she seemed to be ok. We were lucky. There are many people in this same situation. The daughter in this story was neglected but not on purpose. The daughter was used to her situation and never complained. On page 288, paragraph 7 & 8, the reality of the situation torments the mother. The daughter really doesn't have much hope for her future and the mother believes it is her fault.