Parenting

CHOOSING TO STAY AT HOME HAS THE BENEFITS OF ALLOWING THE PARENT TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH CHILDREN AND WATCH THEM GROW.

Choosing to stay at home has the benefits of allowing the parent to spend quality time

with children and watch then grow.

Everyday, parents around the globe are retiring business suites and briefcases in

exchange for bottles and bibs. For many parents, the benefits of staying home far exceed the

challenges. Full time parenting offers constant interaction between a parent and a child,

promoting bonding. When it comes to raising children, quantity is as equally important as

quality. It has been argued that an hour a day reserved just for one-on-one interaction with your

child is enough to cement the parent-child bond. Some would also argue that, if you only had

one hour a day to devote to your relationship, you would probably be single. Putting in time

when it matters is what matters most.

With the decision to become a stay at home parent, comes the reality of the loss of an

additional income. Often we think a family with one full time parent must have lots of money.

"There's an all too common belief or assumption that most families have to have a second

income to make ends meet," says Linda Kelley, home economist and author of Two Incomes and

Still Broke? It's Not How Much You Make, but How Much You Keep. "The second income

often disappears with all the assorted job expenses that crop up when you add a second income

to your budget."

The loss of the second income is not all negative. You must also consider the money you

save on what would otherwise be spent on weekly childcare, weekly dry cleaning, and weekly

vehicle maintenance.

One of the most important factors of being a stay-at-home parent is the emotional affect

the new role will have on you. It is very important to find time to yourself outside of your daily

routine. One of the best ways to avoid the depression sometimes experienced with at home

parenting, is getting out of the house and reconnecting to an adult life. This can be done by

staying in touch with former co-workers or getting involved in community activities which

involve other parents.

Being the working parent does not necessarily mean being the happier parent. Working

parents have to deal with the guilt of being the parent that spends less time with the child.

The decision to be the working parent is as much a struggle as the decision to be the stay-at-home parent. Having to be told about all of the developmental milestones you missed, or having that funny moment described to you is not the same as being there for the actual event.

As a mother of two; one child having had the experience of both a stay-at-home parent

and a working parent for two years, and the other child only having that experience for nine

months, the impact can be different. My oldest, a girl, transitioned into a pre-school

environment