"Are Women Wasting Their Time in College?" by Betty Friedan

From "Killed: Great Journalism Too Hot to Print" edited by David Wallis

The title of this article was very effective. When I first started reading, I was under the impression that the author was asking whether or not women should even bother with college. I was a bit astounded at this question since Friedan is more famously known for her book, "The Feminine Mystique," which heavily advocates education for women.

By the end of the article, I realized that I was reading the title wrong.

Friedan wrote this article after conducting a survey of her 1942 college class. She conducted a survey and received some rather unsurprising results.The women weren't fulfilled by doing housework and found they could not live through their husband or children.

What the housewives did figure out, however, is that their children would not be with them forever. The recognition of this fact resulted in several outcomes.

Some regretted not trying harder in college or taking more difficult classes, so they took classes part-time or one at a time. Others engaged in volunteer work while the children were small, used that one hour alone each day to read, paint, or write, and utilized time doing housework as time to pleasantly spend in their minds, in their own world.

The common thread between that college class of women?

They kept their minds active and kept mindful of remaining an individual.

In today's times, I boggle that a woman would be afraid of being called "smart." The one thing I fear most is being accused of stupidity and thoughtlessness.

Ladies, just a hint. The men that don't want their women to have a brain aren't the ones you even want to use for a one-night stand.

Fellas, you may want a lady that will take care of your children, but you'll also want a companion for when your children are grown and gone. Trust me on this one.

And why do I feel like I have to make this point even now, years after women suffrage, years after women have made leaps and bounds in their societal position?

Because I have lived on both sides of the motherhood coin (living for one's self and living for the child/husband), so I imagine there are other young mothers out there, still having to figure out the hard way that losing sight of individuality during wife/motherhood equates to losing yourself completely.

Before I had my baby, I was told about how to change a diaper, how to combat colic, and how to fight cradle cap.

I wasn't taught about loneliness, the delicate balance of individuality vs. motherhood (which isn't to say the two can't combine — on the contrary, that is a lesson I took far too long to learn), and simply how not to lose your mind.

To put this blog post train back on its tracks, I found this killed article to be relevant even in today's world.

I went to college and dropped out to raise a child. I understand the women polled in that article and would greatly encourage the latest generation of women to finish their education and work hard at improving their minds.

It was horrifying for me to wake up one day and realize that I'd lost myself. I panicked for a few months and tried to bury myself in being housewifey.

Boy, was my brain not fooled.

Then I signed up for classes at a local community college. I studied writing and I studied the Russian language, but the one thing I studied the most were the people.

I had been so isolated for so long that I really had no idea how to talk to anybody. The only time I felt comfortable was in Russian class where everybody was literally speaking another language.

My writing classes brought me such joy that I eventually made the decision to major in it.

And while I have not finished a degree, I am working in an industry that allows me to do what I love — read, write, be around some amazingly-talented, supremely-intelligent people, and love my life.

This career choice does not mean that I have given up on rearing my child, however. My daughter, who is in first grade, goes to school down the street from my work. She gets home a few hours before I do, but I think she rather enjoys the quality time she gets with my boyfriend (a full-time student). They play video games and read books together while waiting for me to get home.

When I get home, we cuddle on the couch and write together. I think she enjoys writing almost more than I do! She makes these cute little books with stories of what she did that day.

My boyfriend and I share the housework equally. He appreciates my brain and encourages me to improve myself. There's no friction over my working, and he's proud of me.

I'm proud of me.

I'm glad I found a balance.

It's possible.