Monday, February 23, 2009
To Stay Home or Not?
I read this great article from the washington post titled Who Should Care for This Child? its an interesting and thought provoking article about making decisions about child care and all the factors which must be considered. Is a full time stay at home really the best or only if that is what her aspirations are? Can a woman afford to stay home or is child care to expensive to be worth it? Would a child be better served by a mother with a career who has more finicial resources available? The author of the article says... It depends! On what works the best for the parent, because whatever works best for the parent will ultimately be the best for the child too=) Now does that sound like someone from the sanguine camp to you? I thought so... but I am curious what your thoughts and reactions are to the article.
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Great Article! This is an interesting debate.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost one must ask if they can afford to stay home. What I mean is, can we make some downgrades (i.e., owning a cheep car, low rent or mortgage, canceling the gym membership, HBO, etc.)? Then, can we make it financially? Too often, it seems like the last thing people are willing to give up are their luxuries. (That's what makes us American Darn it!).
Another item to consider is health insurance (sorry, shameless plug). If the mother does not work, will she be able to get health insurance? Children cannot, cannot, cannot be w/o health insurance.
I would think that a single-mother needs to work and have health insurance. Day care is a good way to have your child build social skills, etc. However, single-mothers should be given adequate time with their child the first 2 years (Attachment Theory).
I for one don't feel there is a right answer here, it simply depends on the family and the needs of the caretaker and children. For my family the cost of daycare for 4 children would be prohibitive. For one child....maybe not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Dan and Lucas have said. I also think that this debate comes down to priorities. Are parents paying attention to their children and do the parents know what is going on with their kids or is work and 'getting ahead' more important to them.
ReplyDeleteI know A LOT of fabulous women who have/had day cares in their homes and I am sure the child they have watched over the years are no worse off than if their parents had stayed home to raise them.
A possible solution would be to force women to stay home, MAKE families spend time together, and put a limit on how many 'toys' families can purchase!! Haha, I would like to see someone try and pass that policy/regulation!!
Thanks for this post...it will be helpful for Jamie and my discussion on day care next class period. Perhaps you will be there....with that sweet baby as a perfect example of the population being studied. Hope all is well!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan, in that if a mother does desire to stay home with the children, the family can first cut out luxuries that would facilitate this. Yes, we live in a real world, but aren't children more precious than luxuries?
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