Stay at Home Moms or Career Moms?
Making the Decision to go Back to Work or Take Care of the Baby
May 9, 2008
Being a stay at home mom has always been a controversial topic for professional woman, especially, in an era when woman are flourishing in the workforce. Conversely, some mothers instinctively want to nurture their children, but that doesn't make them limited to staying at home. The mother's decision should depend on her financial status, resources, and which lifestyle best supports her and the baby's needs.
In an Interview on May 2008 via e-mail with Psychologist Dr. Jean Mercer Ph.D. and Board Member Emeritus of the New Jersey Association of Infant Mental Health, She spoke about what a mother must consider before making a decision to go back to work after giving birth. According to the Doctor, Infants need an attentive, sensitive and responsive caregiver in the first months of life, which is important for good physical and mental development. This can make mom the perfect candidate, however, the caregiver doesn't have to be mom.
Guilt is one of the reasons that many mothers are reluctant to go back to work; moms usually feel that they are the only ones who can take the best care of their infant. This is not true at all. Any caregiver that will meet the baby's needs is fine, as long as he or she is spending time, playing, interacting and talking to the infant. Infants are building their communication skills by watching other people, and they are picking up on the sounds of the languages that they will learn, according to Dr. Mercer.
There should only be one caregiver for an infant. " Adults need to have a lot of experience with a given baby before he or she understands the baby well; too many caregivers means too little time for each person to spend with the baby," said Dr. Mercer.
When Staying at Home Can be Beneficial for Moms and Infants
A time when staying home is recommended is right after giving birth to three months because it is a tiresome period and difficult to work. The decision to stay at home with the baby is mainly for the mother's and infant's satisfaction. It gives the them bonding time, and allows the mother to make sure the infant gets the proper care that he or she needs. Dr. Mercer suggests that a good time to go back to work is before seven or eight months. The transition from mom to babysitter should go smoothly before then because the baby will not be old enough to be afraid of strangers.
Resources for Moms and Ways to Make Money From Home
Staying home with your infant is a job without a salary, so one will have to find a source of income. There are many good home-based professions. Freelance writing is a common career that can help pay the bills. If this is an area of interest, one can find out what it takes to be a writer by looking on the Mommy Savers website. Some parents have resorted to working in the daycare that their child attends, or to running businesses or websites from home.
"My son and daughter-in-law ran a subscription web site from their home while their two children were infants," said Dr. Mercer. "They had to summarize court decisions for the web site, do billing and other business aspects."
Finding Money for Daycare
If finding the money for childcare is the problem, there are other alternatives to help support moms in need of assistance. Programs for Parents, Inc., is a company that provides services, which help meet the needs of parents, family childcare providers and childcare centers in the community. Inquiring moms can find out about eligibility information on the website. Another option is Catholic Charities USA, which has a network of 1,700 agencies and institutions worldwide with a mission of meeting family's basic needs.
To a mom, spending time with her infant is valuable because she can never get those years back. When faced with the decision of whether to stay at home or return to work, there is no one correct answer. It always depends on which option fits the mom and baby's current situation.
