Please note that the opinions on regarding these polls are solely those of their writers. The #!Parentsroom doesn't necessarily agree nor disagree with these opinions unless otherwise stated.
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#!Parentsroom Weekly Poll Results - IShould mothers (or fathers) of very young children do everything in their power to stay at home with their children and not work outside the home?
Don't forget to answer this weeks Poll
Should mothers (or fathers) of very young children do everything in their power to stay at home with their children and not work outside the home?
It seems the times are changing back towards the more traditional these days, if you believe this weeks poll results. We hear so much in the media about dual income families, yet according to our poll, most people believe that one parent should definitely do what they can to be able to stay at home with their small children.
Here are the results in more detail:
- 63.6% said, Yes, a mother or father should stay home with small children.
- 22.7% said, No, it really doesn't make much difference.
- 13.6% said, something other than just yes or no.
The following are some comments we received:
- In my opinion, a parent should definitely do whatever they can to stay at home with their young children as much as possible. It's much easier to afford than most people think. When you factor in the costs of child care, work clothes, gas, etc. you often find you are not making as much as you thought at your job. Not to mention that you are missing watching your child grow and change. It's very important for your kids to have YOU be the one teaching them YOUR moral values. It is hard to find child care that will have the same views and beliefs as you do.
- There is no way I can say that being in daycare "makes no difference." While, in a perfect world, I would like to stay home with my 20 month old daughter; the social skills, physical opportunities and mental challenges she is exposed to would not happen in the same way if she was at home with me. Is this a 'bad' difference? or a 'good' difference? I often wonder how I will handle all the childhood developments on my own when I stay home with number two.
- I am not the stay at home type. I feel that my kids get more quality time from me when I work. I have been home on maternity leave since June, and I can see where I need to go back to work. My 4 yr old spends so much time trying to get my attention while I am busy doing housework that all I seem to do is yell. When I worked, I'd spend my free time with him. I'd do the housework in the late evening past bedtime. When I was home all day there didn't seem to be a need to do the work later so I did it during the day and that's where we ran into trouble.
- At the very least, part time. I work four days a week from 8-12. My children get the benefits of daycare; socialization, learning to wait their turn, share etc, and also the time spent with a mom that isn't too frazzled and guilty from working too much! I work enough to feel stimulated as an adult, and that makes me a more patient, nurturing parent!
- Very, Very, Very Important to stay with your young child for at least 1/2 of the day. Either Parent, not just mom, is necessary for the ideal raising of a child. Living in a smaller house or with less "luxuries" is small trade-off. I have many friends who work outside of the home, and I feel that 75% of them do it out of boredom or pressure from society. Being a stay at home parent is a JOB! But many people have trouble viewing it that way. I have the rest of my life to work...I have a college education with a degree in Pre-med microbiology...my education is not going anywhere. But the children grow up so fast, and when they are older I can work to my heart's content and they will be very supportive. Children need a full time parent! A full time job can wait! The privilege of raising a healthy and happy child outweighs the luxury of using day care! I honestly never could, and still can't understand how any parent could leave a 6 week old infant with a relative stranger for more than 2 hours every day!
- I think a parent should try to stay home as much as possible, but if it is totally impossible then they should spend as much of their free time as they can. A young child needs to be nurtured by their parents as much as possible
- Although some parents have no choice but to work outside the home, the time that I have spent at home with my 3 month old has made me realize that I would never have been able to know her as I do if I went back to work right after maternity leave was over. Children grow and learn new things every day. I would have been crushed to hear about her first smile from the babysitter instead of witnessing it myself.
- Don't worry, my first spent her first 4 years in day care (a family home). She is now 12 and has always been a sociable well adjusted girl. I was home with my youngest, now 6, he is also just fine. He spent some time in care but not much. It is nice for parents to be with their children, but where money and self satisfaction is concerned, both also count a lot.
- I think a parent should be home for a child regardless of the child's age. My thoughts are that a child needs a parent to raise them not some day care center. My daughter has said she is very glad that I am home when she gets home from school and is home when she is sick. She has told me she feels bad for the kids whose parents are not able to go on field trips and go to events at the school. Parents need to be involved in their kids lives. I think the problems with kids are that their parents do not have time for the children and the kids feel this. It is a proven fact that a lot of families could do very nicely with only one income. Sometimes they even do better financially. Once a family stops trying to keep up with the Jones' they can realize they do not need the two incomes. That they can "make it" on less income and the children can have more time with a parents. They need the time.
- I personally feel it is very important for a parent to be home with children and not for a babysitter to raise the children. I have always felt that the reason our society is the way it is because parents don't show enough interest in the children they are more interested in "keeping up with the jones'"!
- Each family's situation is different. If your financial situation allows one parent to stay at home with the child then I believe it is a good idea to have a parent at home...if money is tight then I think both parents should do what they can with the time they have. If you ask most parents they would more than likely want to stay at home but because of financial restrictions, cannot.
- I truly believe that one of the parents should make an effort to be at home for the children. Still today, that generally means the mom, however I believe this situation will continue to change as our society advances (i.e., better wages for working women, job sharing, liberated fathers). I made the choice to stay home with our children (I'm the mom) and I am very glad that I did.
- Thank goodness more parents are figuring out ways to accomplish this! It's amazing how many "necessities" you can live without once you take on the full-time job of being parents. I'm so glad our society is waking up and realizing that stay-at-home Moms/Dads are not lazy slobs, but valuable assets to this "family business." I for one don't miss the pantyhose, fast food dinners or higher tax bracket one bit!
- I love the fact that I work out of the home. I believe that my children will never be a part of a one family income and I am the "adjustment generation." I thank God every day that my children will not suffer the guilt that we as a society now put on mothers. I am fulfilled by my career and my children are happy and well adjusted. I also believe that the business world has benefited in ways that it will take another generation to appreciate, but it is all for the better.
- I feel if parents can afford to stay home with their children they should if they would have to struggle to survive financially then no one would benefit from the issue. I also feel these facts are also equally dependant on quality day care for the children involved.