Is it wrong to want to be a stay-at-home mom?

DEAR ABBY: I am a junior in high school and will graduate in the first semester of my senior year. Someday I would like to be a stay-at-home mom.

I have no interest in going to college. I feel it would be a waste of money for me to go when I don't intend to use my degree.

To say that my parents are disappointed in me over this is putting it mildly. They have a life planned for me that includes college. I would also like to move away to somewhere where it's warm year-round, and they don't like that idea either.

How do I make them understand that this is my life and everything will be OK?

- Uninterested in Idaho

DEAR UNINTERESTED: I'll paraphrase an old proverb: "When man makes plans, God laughs." What it means in your case is that a smart cookie stays flexible.

Let's say, for instance, that you get the life you fantasize about: You marry a man who adores you, doesn't mind that you have only a high-school degree and is wealthy enough to support you. You have two or three beautiful children together and things are going great.

But what if, heaven forbid, he becomes seriously ill and can't work - or worse, drops dead, leaving you the sole support of those kids? It has been known to happen. (And then, of course, there's also the possibility of divorce, which has been known to happen, too.)

Be smart. Listen to your parents, and arm yourself with the best education you can possibly attain because the reality is, one day you may need to use it.