It is disappointing when mothers are devalued for staying at home to raise their children. Richard Lowry states, "There is something valuable in a mother's caring for her own child. " (4) In general, no one can take care of your child in the same way his or her mother would. A mother's care is usually superior to daycare since she naturally wants what is best for her child. "According to a non-partisan Public Agenda survey in 2000, roughly 80 percent of parents with children five and younger say a stay-at-home parent is best able to give children the "affection and attention they need. " " (qtd. in Lowry 4).
A mother's individual care can also curb the aggression that is evident in day care centers. "A study done by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports that, kids in non-maternal care tend to be associated with qualities such as "gets in lots of fights, " "cruelty, " "explosive behavior, " "talking too much, " "argues a lot, " and "demands a lot of attention. " " (qtd. in Lowry 1) Teachers who work in a preschool environment, like my daughter, are frustrated with how badly the children usually behave. Workers in day care are governed by strict rules which prevent disciplining children the way one can do at home. This causes a disregard and loss of respect for others because many children grow up thinking they can do what they want. Today, many of the younger generation act like they are owed something. In the workplace, it is shocking to see the way they treat others with their degrading manners and think there is nothing wrong with their behavior. They also tend to have lazy work ethics and "cop an attitude" when asked to do anything extra. This makes it difficult for many employers to find hard working and respectful employees.
It is important to note that not all children in daycare grow up to be aggressive and unproductive adults. Even though many women in the work force find raising children to be a very difficult task which leaves them feeling lonely and bored, they do a fine job of balancing their jobs with raising successful children.
