Blair West's response to parenthood

I was so impressed by all the presentations on parenthood, because I found it fascinating to study subjects that are so relevant and important in our daily lives. However, the subject of parents, children, and families is not something that would be stereotypically 'studied,' as one would study history or science, which is why I was so intrigued to delve deeper into the issues that essentially define our lives.
The images of parenthood, particularly mothers, really stood out to me. The 'glorification of housework,' as Josie mentioned, struck a chord. Depictions of women donning makeup and dresses skipping about the house doing laundry and cleaning with such zeal and joy were hardly shocking, because we see this idea of the 'labor of love' so often in the media. So rarely do women is commercials have a pessimistic or un-energetic demeanor, yet, if we take a step back and thing logically, cleaning and housework are simply not fun or exciting activities. Josie also said, 'when did I become a Stepford wife?' and I laughed because I sympathized with her sentiment. Although I dream of having a stimulating career and making my own money, I would love more than to have a family. There is nothing wrong with thinking this way, granted, but I do feel a twinge of guilt in knowing I would not be unhappy being a stay-at-home mom for part of my life.
Ry mentioned something in his presentation that also interested me; he spoke a lot about 'norms of society' and kept comparing and contrasting certain standards of 'the norm.' I feel like this expression is so relevant and convoluted in our studies of sex, gender, and society, because how can we really define 'the norm'? Is it 'the expected'? Or do we simply expect the norm? All this seems to be simply semantics to me, while studying parenthood brought up many issues that we simply do not notice in our daily lives. Over the weekend I was watching a television show and saw a commercial for Swiffer duster, and the advertisement followed a young, pretty mother running around her home mopping with a big smile on her face. I am thankful for these presentations, because I will never look at those sorts of household chore advertisements the same way.