Should I stay home or go back to work when I have small children?
If you want to get parents worked up over an issue debate working parents vs stay at home parents. Some are very passionate in their outlooks. Some are doing not what they prefer or choose, but what their lifestyle and society has helped mould for them.
Stay at home parents by choice feel that the first few years are so important for their child’s development that they want to be there to provide the stimulation, the support and the environment that maximises the child’s potential. It is also a time for the parent to enjoy those early years without as much time constraint that comes with working.
In the western culture, I am not sure that as a society on the whole that we value parenting as a full time role. There seems to be more status placed on those that are working in a ‘job’ rather than those that are working hard at moulding and shaping our next generation.
A working parent has less time with their child. Childcare comes in the form of family help, in home help or daycare. This childcare opens up new learnings available to the child from the family and community. How does this affect the parent/child bond and experience bond though.
Working parents have more interactions with a diversity of people, are exposed to more general community information and have more access to a whole range of worldly experiences that they can in turn bring this into the home. By having educated parents, the thinking is that the children will be exposed to more information which makes the next generation more educated.
The child of a working parent sees working as the ‘normal’ and in turn be likely to embark on a career when they finish their schooling. Hence the parents are setting the example.
The above can be seen as a generalisation as the quality and the quantity of time between parents and children is variable. Is a working parent really able to manage their time so that interactions are quality, and does a stay at home parent really cope as well when surrounded 24/7 with babies and toddlers with limited breaks or adult conversation?
Is part time work for parents the answer to this situation, and is it practical and affordable? With the preferred childcare options available, the type of job sought, the flexibility needed to account for unwell children, the added stressed that come with a job, there are many factors to consider, and who is to say what is right and wrong for each individual family.
If you are a working parent, or stay at home parent that needs a break, Cherished Cherubs Babysitting can help you with your childcare. For something regular, or something more ad hoc, call them on 0417 927 525.
