“Being a stay-at-home mother does not hurt your legal standing,” she said firmly.

“Not one bit; the law understands the value of what you did, and so do I.

So I don’t want you to start looking for work because you think you have to prove something to a court.

I want you to start looking for work because of what it will do for you.

For your spirit.

Because at some point in the next year you are going to need to remember that you are a person who can stand on her own, and it is much easier to remember that when you have somewhere to be on Monday morning.”

I have thought about that advice many times since.