Stay at Home Mothers

Today’s American family is very different from the typical “ideal family” that was the norm only half a century ago. Family life in the 1950s consisted of a father who left for work every morning and a loyal mother who stayed at home to tend to her house and the children. This concept is no longer the norm for American households. Families today come in all shape and sizes, and more and more moms are trading in their gardens and cooking utensils for the hustle and bustle of the American work force. “The number of employed mothers with children under age 18 were 70.1% in 1999, up from to 66.3% in 1990.”11 Are working mothers better than stay-at-home mothers? For many women, the decision to stay at home or work is very frustrating. What if a mother decides to work? For some families, having mom stay at home is not feasible. A second income is necessary to make ends meet. Even if two incomes is not critical, income is not the advantage when a mother works. Health insurance, life insurance, and saving for retirement can persuade a mom to

Depending on what state a family lives in, child care can add up. When CNN did a special program devoted to child care, the commentator Robert Novak was delighted to discover that child care kids turns into aggressive monsters. But if she does finds an excellent day care, her children can still learn and develop in a positive manner. The decision of staying at home or going to work is a very difficult one any modern mom. " 5 Today"tms tends to devalue the stay-at-home mom and stereotypes her as lazy and dimwitted. Whether a mother decides to stay at home or enter the work force, she will undoubtedly be stereotyped. For a stay-at-home mom, the greatest reward is watching her children flourish into responsible and respectable human beings. But your children always going to be there. She can be accessible to her children at all times, and can be present at every school play, make Halloween costumes, or decorate for Christmas. These expenses may include business clothes, dry cleaning, gas, expensive lattes from a coffee shop, and overly-priced burgers at a fast food restaurant. Yet, mothers receive little emotional support, respect, or acknowledgement for the work of primary care taking.