Sunday, September 16, 2012

The Trinity of Women's Choice

A dark, but still funny saying is

"When it comes to women you can have

sanity
beauty
intelligence

Choose 2."

It's funny (to quote Faud from Family Guy) "because it's true."

But while that may be the question men get to face when potentially courting a woman, women also get to ask themselves a question:

"Husband

Children
Career

Choose 2."


It just popped into my head, but I realized I liked it more in that in selecting any 2 mutually excludes the third.

Sorry ladies, just isn't enough time in the day to "have it all."  But don't listen to me.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I got all three in my wife, and she got the husband and children. She had what most people would consider a good job before we had kids but was happy to give it up, because a job is a job and they all suck if you don't have to do one. - minuteman

John said...

Please direct me to all the sane/beautiful women that are dumb as dirt.

It's either Beautiful/Intelligent or Ugly/Sane/Intelligent. That's your choice.

Women's choice is either career/kids or kids/marriage. Career/marriage is really the worst of both worlds for them.

heresolong said...

We were talking about this on our motorcycle trip this summer. It comes originally from the business axiom "quality, price, or time". Again, you can have two but choosing two excludes the third pretty much automatically.

In the case of people there are definitely exceptions since humans are far more capable of variation than business models, but it sure does lead to interesting conversations when the subject comes up.

I like your expansion of the subject to the realm of women's choices and wonder in how many other areas this type of argument could be made.

Unknown said...

I like what Homer Simpson said, "Why couldn't find someone else for us to marry besides women?!?!?"

Ecclesiastes said...

You have woefully underestimated the time that children require.

There is no such thing as a good single parent. The only way to one of those is to lower the standard for parent until you get to the one you want to say is good.

As long as children are present, someone has to be at home. There are no part time children, so there aren't any part time parents.

You could lower the standard for career, though. You can call it a career if you work only part time, right?


Anonymous said...

I would have to add a qualifier to the list for women: a career (outside of the home).

My mother has been very successful as a wife/mother, but she has also had a successful career as a horse trainer. Partially because both of my sisters were involved in horseback riding, but mostly because the ranch she worked at was always close to home (And ten years ago, the ranch -became- home, cause we moved into one).

Writers could probably succeed equally well.

Dan said...

Sorry cap....but the second one is
not true. Been married to the missus for more than a quarter century. Have two girls in college doing well and the wife has worked at her chosen profession in healthcare the entire time. It may not always be easy but it is definitely possible.

Twenty said...

@Dan

Sorry, but a woman can't be a good wife AND a good mother AND a good employee. If she's trying to do all three, someone's getting short-changed.

Who it was in your case, I couldn't say.

beta_plus said...

While it is possible for some to have it all as some commenters have, I think the point of the Captain is that it is impossible for most to have it all. Most men have to make the choice above. Most women have to make the choice above. The lucky few will be blessed. The rest of us will have to schlep by.

Dan said...

@ Twenty....

You are wrong.

My wife is a good wife...good cook... good friend...good housekeeper....and good in the sack.

She is a good mother...our two girls are happy healthy intelligent
well educated and capable young ladys.

And my wife is highly regarded professionally. She has been introduced by more than one surgeon as the finest in her field in the nation. Her income is far above that of the average HOUSEHOLD in America ( and I make more than she does so don't start the alpha/beta crap).

I state emphatically that it IS possible for a women to be an excellent wife, an excellent mother and an excellent career woman at the same time.

It is not easy...but it can be done.

Mutnodjmet said...

I like to think I have all three. But, to be fair, I can see where my husband would have questions about item #1.

Anonymous said...

Dan, Dan, Dan... and how many women are the 'finest in their field', and have an income 'far above the average household in America'? i'm sure she cleans her own house and uses the local daycare for childcare NOT

Matt Walker said...

Dan,

It's possible to be a professional golfer too -- but it's not easy. So not easy, in fact, that for pretty much everybody, it's not possible.