By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives
In the 1970s, a daycare center opened in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, which would accommodate children as young as two years of age.
Many mothers felt that sending such young kids was unhealthy, and preferred sacrificing their careers in order to stay at home with their children.
Frida Schapiro, who had a degree in education, decided to postpone her career until her youngest child would be in day school fulltime.
In a private audience with the Rebbe, she explained her decision.
The Rebbe responded that sending children to a daycare center is an acceptable notion, as “they have children to play with.”
Later, when her youngest child was already in school, she sought the Rebbe’s counsel regarding several career opportunities. The Rebbe was most enthusiastic about one option: teaching in a daycare center.
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I feel like the message is no guilt. If I worked I wouldn’t bring enough home to offset daycare, I also like having my kids at home and miss them when they aren’t. I also would have worn myself out. One of the timeless adage’s of the Rebbe’s answers is although we see and use letters to other people as guidance for ourselves, they were written specifically for that person. Now if you are on the opposite end and your a mother who needs the break work gives you from your kids, needs the money, likes working, and whatever else… Read more »
So is the message that its better to be a working mom? Its so common for mothers to work nowadays, the additional income is needed, but for me, it burned me out, it was hard to be a kind and patient mother. What is the message of the article?
Morah freeda was an outstanding teacher for many years. thank you Rebbe!