Northern California was supposed to be better or safer, if you will, to raise a latch key child. This was a serious consideration for those of us parenting in the Seventies. Big deal.
What none of the women dared to mouth was that as soon as the woman had to return to the workplace to help support more than a four legged critter, the family unit had immediately started on its downhill ride, into the depths of a swamp – not a valley – filled with messy, counterproductive situations. Unfortunately, there were not nearly enough trees for those of us who yearned to smack into one on occasion to commit emotional suicide, regroup, and then move on.