Why *doesn't* Molly work?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 84842

Rebecca said: 
> Even if she [Molly] had absolutely nothing to do during the
> day (which I do not believe) it doesn't means she
> *has* to work. <snip>
> Maybe she just prefers not to work. <snip>
> Note:  what about tending the chickens, making
> sweaters, keeping the house clean, etc?  And who says
> she has to be busy every minute of the day?

Not to mention that she was almost certainly homeschooling Ron and
Ginny until their admission to Hogwarts in SS and CS respectively,
which (along with housework) would have given her very little time to
work outside the home. Her duties in the Order now provide a new
outlet for her energies, a new way of being useful without outside
paid employment, but I'm not sure it compensates her emotionally.
Without considering the money question, I think Molly is suffering
from Empty Nest Syndrome, along with very real fears for her family.
She has been a stay-at-home mother since Bill was born some 25 years
earlier (his exact age isn't clear). I don't think she's emotionally
ready to just go out into the world and earn her living selling
magically knit sweaters (or whatever), even if anyone would buy them.

Carol