My mom has always said that the one thing she wishes she had done differently is have a job. She felt like the single-mindedness made her a little nuts sometimes, and she could have used an outlet for herself when we were little.

Garner reflects on her mother’s retrospective ambivalence about full-time stay-at-home parenting. The remark frames paid work not only as economic contribution but as psychological ballast: an “outlet” that can preserve identity, social connection, and mental variety when childcare becomes all-consuming. By describing the “single-mindedness” of focusing exclusively on children, the quote acknowledges the intensity and isolation that can accompany early motherhood, while resisting romanticized narratives that portray self-erasure as inherently virtuous. It also implicitly validates a range of family arrangements, suggesting that fulfillment and stability may come from balancing caregiving with work or other sustaining pursuits.