Why seek out higher education if you don't intend to use it? It's a question that's being thrown at stay-at-home moms across the nation ... and causing a big debate.

Christina Montoya Fiedler: My frustration with the question flared up when I read a rousing piece on MSN entitled, "Is Mom Wasting Her College Degree?"

Well, am I?

I graduated (with honors) from Chapman University, a small, private liberal arts school in Orange, CA. Yes, it was expensive. Yes, I have the loan payments to prove it. Am I working in some high-powered position bringing in a six-figure salary? No. But was it worth it? Of course. I am a mom and a college-educated woman -- a college-educated woman who made the educated choice to stay at home with her child.

First of all, this concept that mothers are wasting their money on college if they decide to "just stay home instead" totally demoralizes being a mother. It's flawed in so many ways. It insinuates that being a stay-at-home mom is somehow less important than other so-called real-world jobs. I beg to differ.

College degrees are much more than a means to make a monetary living. Perhaps I speak for myself, but going to college made me a well-rounded person. My knowledge of life, history, culture, literature, science spreads far and wide. I met some of the most interesting people in my life in college, and all of them touched my soul in different ways, shaping me into the person I am today. All of this I pass on to my children.

Because I was a journalism major and now I'm not following a beat at a local paper, or writing a memoir, or donning a business suit and riding the subway to work, am I making less of that education than others? Nope.

Ever heard of "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world"? I'm pretty sure my job has some serious relevance in today's society, yet I should not have to defend why I choose to stay home. In fact, I might have the most power position of all.

I use my college education in every decision I make, every word I write, every conversation I have -- it's part of me. One thing cannot be separated from the next.

What do you think?

Christina Montoya Fiedler resides in Los Angeles, CA, with husband Andy and her son Joseph. She juggles baby and work from home as a freelance publicist and attributes her strong love for life and sense of humor to her loving familia.