Vartanian 1

Tina Vartanian
English 115
Mary Griffith
15 September 2014
Letter to Author
Dear Lucy Telliyan,
I recently read your essay in the Wings book sold at the Matador bookstore. Your essay
titled, The New Mr. Mom really stood out to me because I could connect to it with my family
as well. Throughout the essay, you focus on the roles your parents play in your household and
how the traditional ideas of gender stereotypes have affected your family.
Coming from the same cultural background, I understand the image that is expected out
of a typical family. The idea that the wife would be the stay at home mom and do the household
chores while the man of the house became the ...primary breadwinner of the household is
absurd (87). I find it very interesting how our fathers had to go through similar journeys
adjusting with their careers. My father was also an ...engineer, [but rather than working] as a
contractor he works as a manager. Even though the adjustment to a new job is difficult, my
father struggled more with the idea of my mom working.
When the ...recession hit in 2007 my father temporarily lost his job (86). This is
when the gender stereotype of the women being the house mom disappeared in my family. Due
to the fact that my mother was inexperienced and that the job market was very competitive,my
mother decided to go back to school. She received her license in pharmacy technician and began
working. This was the time that the roles of my parents shifted for the better.

Vartanian 2
Although my father regained his position a few months later, he became a ...stay-athome dad for a while (86). He cooked and took care of me and my sister while my mom
worked. This allowed him to appreciate my mom more when he did go back to work- the same
went for my mom. Although gender stereotypes are still a part of our daily lives, we are slowly
evolving to a more equality based society. This will take several generations to overcome but I
am confident that eventually all of these stereotypes will eventually fade away.
Thank you for sharing your familys experience with gender stereotypes because it
helped me look at things in a new perspective. Your essay truly did connect to me on a personal
and emotional level by bringing out some lost memories.