Some people believe it is harmful for both parents of a preschool child to work outside the home...?

Question

Some people believe it is harmful for both parents of a preschool child to work outside the home, others do not feel this way. What is your opinion?

Answer 1

I think that, in many cases, there are ways that people can afford for one parent to stay at home with their children before they are school-age. I think that we are all so consumed with having a nice house, a new car, etc. that we feel it is a NEED, not a WANT. I worked for a year and a half with my first son b/c I really had to, then when I got pregnant with my second son we sat down, figured up the daycare cost vs. staying home, and decided to make some sacrifices. We bought a used car to cut out a car payment, stopped eating out as much, and buckled down. I wouldn't change a thing. Since then, my husband has gotten raises and things are more comfortable, and I get the satisfaction of knowing that my children are getting care from someone that loves them more than anything else on this earth.

That said, I understand, too, that there are situations that necessitate BOTH parents working. People do what they have to in order to make ends meet, and kids understand that once they are grown and have kids of their own. The problem arises when parents put their own selfishness and materialism ahead of their children...as adults, those children tend to realize what their parents did and do not recover from that very well.

Answer 2

My mom stayed home with me when I was little. She worked part time on and off through my childhood but not so much we ever felt that her career or jobs came first in her life. I have worked in daycares and pre schools and I think I would live on nothing rather than put my baby in one those places. Even ones run by very loving, caring people are still emotinally unhealthy for a child or toddler. Nobody can give care and love like a parent. My husband and I are planning on having children in the very near future and we're already making financial decisions so that I can stay home with the baby all or most of the time. If I have to work for a while I will have my parents watch him or her.... family is definitely second best if it can't be the parents.

Answer 3

Kids three and under should be home with a parent. There is a World Health Report that stated kids in day care under age two, both mother and infant suffer HARM. Interesting how that report is ignored. As for mom working, here is an interesting tidbit. With moms working, we know have nearly doubled the number of available workers in the workforce. Wages have deflated with more available workers, and unemployment for the general public is higher. In the 60's and prior, women stayed home thus less workers. Wages were higher as employers had to compete to get the best workers.

Answer 4

In today's world, it's not always easy for one parent to stay at home while the other one works. But, it is possible. Sitting down and deciding what your needs are, versus your wants, can help you see what parts of your life you could sacrifice. Do you really need a brand new car (with a value that depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot) with a $400/month payment, or would a second-hand vehicle that you own outright be the better solution? Do you REALLY need to buy Heinz, when there are many generic brands out there that taste nearly the same? For any Canadians on here, if you haven't discovered it yet, Co-Op Gold brand ketchup tastes exactly like Heinz. Heck! Was I ever happy to make that discovery!

It all boils down to one thing: the most important thing is your children. Not what they have in material things, but what they have in their parents.

Answer 5

All I have to do is look at my family. My parents have always worked, and were never home. So, that allowed my brother to beat me on a regular basis, and me being grounded for it, my sister was a s!ut who has two children, from two diffrent guys and is living at home at the age of 22, my brother droped out of school right before he turned 16 and has been in and out of trouble with the cops since. My parents don't give a sh!t, they feel they have raised their kids, my brother is still 16, they aren't done raising him yet.

That said, I am 20, I am married, I own my house, and i stay at home with my 2 year old and take of the house. I have learned from my parents and figured that if my life as a child sucked, it wass because I was moved from place to place, and never really had a strong family structure. My children are not goting to be put through that.

I am all for stay at home parents.

Answer 6

in a perfect world, there would be a parent at home with preschoolers...i was very fortunate to have a stay at home mom,, but the reality is that most people cannot afford this option now, no se, as a nation need to focus on daycare issues for these working families

Answer 7

I think children are better off being raised by people who love and care about them. Can anyone else raise your child as well as you can? Do you want most of your child's waking hours being spent with other people instead of you? The people I know who have the children in day care, leave the children there close to 10 hours a day. Then they take them home, feed them, bathe them and put them to bed. They end up spending about 4 hours a day with the children.

I personally can usually tell right off if children are day care children or not by the way they behave and interact with the parents.

Answer 8

I think it's best if one parent can be with the child during the day especially when they are babies and toddlers but unfortunately a lot of people don't have that option.

I'm thankful that I've been able to be with my 3 yr old daughter since she's been born but I am looking for a part time job in the evenings when her daddy can watch her.

Answer 9

You know, my child is 22mo. old and has been in daycare since she was 9mo. old. I really wanted to be a stay at home mom, but just couldn't afford it. We would've had to live on mac & cheese. I wanted nice things for my daughter. Now I watch her with kids that aren't in daycare who's parent's stay home with them and she is so much more advanced then them. There are times when I did stay home with her. Like now, when we are trying to potty train her, the daycare doesn't help out with that at all, so I believe it makes things harder. There are pro's and con's to both.

Answer 10

I think its developmentally important for a child to have a parent around at that young age. But it is OK if the child has proper care/attention such as a nanny or family who is providing care when he/she is not in school. I do not think he/she should be left to a day care at that age.
My parents were not around when I was little, dad traveled, mom was at salons and shopping with her day- I was left with a nanny, but I was not close with the nanny because it was taught to me that she was JUST a nanny, not someone to care about- more to be viewed as "the help". I am not close to my parents to this day.