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Benefits of Being a Working Parent

Everywhere you look and many of the books and magazines out there discuss the benefits of staying home with your child, and we all know that there are many benefits to this choice. But what about the rest of us? The majority of parents need to work. There is very little information out there geared to working parents. Even trying to join a playgroup or gym program can be hard since most take place during the working hours of the week. The interesting thing is that most parents in the U.S. are not stay-at-home parents since they cannot afford it. Some who can afford to stay home choose not to for the simple reason of keeping a satisfying career that they have worked hard to obtain after many years of hard work. Many parents who leave a job or career to stay at home full-time are often unsatisfied with their job. So in this case of course raising a family is a better option than their unsatisfying job.

A recent article I read in a major newspaper had an interesting study saying that if you have kids after 27-28 years of age (not sure why this exact number) you most likely have established some type of career. So, the article states, it will not effect you as much when you want to return to work after being home with children for a few months or years. But for some reason when people had children at a younger age, it was a major disadvantage to their career upward mobility and their pay. If only we could always control the age we have kids. But it was promoting to get a career first, then kids, then going back to career will be easier.

What ever your reasons are for staying home or for working, this is a personal matter. Their is no option that is better than the other. But for once it would be nice to read an article about some of the benefits of being a working parent since most of us are in this category. Instead of feeling guilty about it, why not uncover and embrace some of the benefits of having others help you raise your family. As you read below, if you think of other benefits that are not mentioned, please email them to me so I can revise the list and share them with others.

Benefits of Being a Working Parent:

Additional income for better quality of life.
A working parent forms an identity in addition to their parenting role. This professional identity can improve self worth. Happy and fulfilled parents have more to offer to their children.
Moms that work show their children more of a true reality which is that most people in our society work for financial stability as well as personal fulfillment. This modeling comes in handy later as your child makes career decisions and looks to you to decide how to lead a satisfying life.
Sons of working moms may learn to respect independent women and can make better husbands since they will not expect to have dinner on the table each night but instead be the one preparing dinner as an equal partner.
When you are not with your child all day, everyday, you tend to make the time you do spend more meaningful. You are more patient with your child since you appreciate the precious time you spend with them. This is more likely to make your time count.
Your child will eventually learn to pitch in and see how much work it is to run a household. Doing too much for your child can create a spoiled brat who lacks motivation. Sometimes when it comes to parenting “less is more."
Enjoy work and outside contact and conversations that are not always baby-centered

Daycare Benefits

Daycare can help your baby/child get used to having other people besides yourself caring for them along with a jump start on their social development. Your child can bond with caretakers along with you and your family. Increasing emotional attachments is always a plus.

Daycare can be more stimulating for a child since there are structured play and learning activities and different children to play with.
Daycare can make your child more flexible. Your baby/child will sleep in a different crib or bed, eat different foods, have a different blanket, and have different caretakers who can make them more versatile and accepting of change.
Daycare will get your child on a schedule. Children need structure and a schedule offers this. Schedules make children more trusting of their environment since they always know what’s next. Consistency is crucial to good parenting and a well-adjusted child.

For more on this topic read:

Solving the Work/Family Conflict
http://www.joankpeters.com/Conversation.htm

When Mothers Work-Loving our Children without Sacrificing Ourselves
by Joan Peters
http://www.joankpeters.com/women_work.htm