I don’t admit this to many of my buddies, but since they’re likely reading Sports Illustrated or Maxim right now, I can let you in on a little secret … I’ve always liked West Side Story. Yeah, the dated musical starring the Sharks, Jets, Rita Moreno and Natalie Wood.
“When you’re a Jet you’re a Jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying day.”
Like I said, I’m a fan. West Side Story is one of my many guilty pleasures. Of course, so is watching marathons of The Real Housewives of Orange County, but that’s a story for my shrink, not you guys.
In case you don’t own the commemorative DVD, here’s the CliffsNotes version of West Side Story: Two tough-guy gangs battle it out on the mean streets of New York City to showtunes. There’s a forbidden love affair, tragic deaths and lots of cool dance scenes on playgrounds. Again, I’m not proud of this affliction, but it is what it is.
Why does this matter to the readers of this fine publication? Because West Side Story is a great analogy for a modern-day battle of tough-guy gangs that I’ve watched for years in the mean streets of Flower Mound, aka the FloMo. But this is one gang war that unfortunately doesn’t include cool dance scenes or catchy songs. Rather, this thing is just plain ugly. And I want no piece of it. Ever.
The combatants: Stay-at-Home Moms vs. Working Moms.
Before I continue, a full disclosure. I have no opinion on which point of view is correct, which probably goes down as a shocker for anyone who has known me for more than 10 minutes. I have no opinion on which group is right, wrong, good, evil, better or worse. Thanks to my wife’s part-time preschool teaching job, I even get off the hook at home because she’s a hybrid. Thank you, God.
What I can say about this battle for the ages is that there’s likely never going to be a victor. Passions run way too high and hot to ever find a happy medium. Can you imagine a Red Sox fan ever acknowledging that the Yankees have some positive attributes? This is like that.
They’ll figure out their differences in the Middle East before these two groups find common ground. It’s the Bloods vs. the Crips with lattes, Escalades and iPhones. Before kids, they could have differences in opinions and still go for coffee together. Now, because of the road they’ve chosen, they are never to speak again. And don’t look now, but men might be joining the argument in the very near future. Recent stats show that 80 percent of the people being laid off in these wonderful economic times are men.
Answer me this, ladies: Isn’t it possible to work full-time and still be a good parent? And can’t you stay home with your child and still be connected to the adult world in meaningful ways? Aren’t kids who go to daycare learning great relationship skills at an early age? And can’t kids who stay home with mom find enough interaction through playdates and other functions that they operate fine when school starts?
In my humble opinion, good moms are irreplaceable. Good moms are the foundation for any success a child will experience. And good moms are good moms regardless of their 9-to-5 schedule.
