Effects of Working Moms on Child Development - What You Need to Know

Effects of Working Moms on Child Development - What You Need to Know

Are you a working mom? If you are, I would bet that at one point or another you have wondered what the effects of working moms on child development are. In fact, I am sure you are wondering now because you are here. It would take a novel to write about all the findings over the last few years, so I will just touch on a few.

3 Researched Effects of Working Moms on Child Development

1. Independence: Working moms have been found to promote more independence in their children. A working mom is not able to solve every problem or issue due to their absence, so their children tend to become more autonomous and better problem solvers. Encouraging this independence has been found to have a more negative impact on boys than girls. For boys, this independence tends to increase the influence of their peer groups. In girls it has a more positive effect because traditionally girls are given less encouragement to be independent.

2. Time Spent: It is also found that working moms spend less time with their preschoolers than non-working moms. Conversely, research has also found that the quality of time spent can sometimes be higher with working moms since they feel they need to compensate for the missed hours during the day, even though the activities chosen by working moms for their children were found to be less educational.

3. Daycare Effects: Children attending daycare or alternate child care are found to be less compliant and more assertive with their playmates. Now, this is not always a negative aspect, although it can easily become one if not kept under watch. The daycare environment is also found to have a major effect on your child's outcome, but in the long term is not as important as the home environment. It is also proven that although daycare can have a large, positive impact on your child's cognitive and social development, one on one discipline and instruction at home is far more important.

Now, I am not saying that daycare is unsatisfactory for our children. If you do your research and have your children in a good facility with great providers than they can, and often do thrive. The implication here is that the teaching, direction, discipline and love that they receive directly at home from you is far more beneficial to them in the long run than what they receive any where else. No one can love your children like you do!

What To Do If You Want To Be Home With Your Children

Something else that I feel is important to note is this; it has also been found that working mothers have a higher level of satisfaction and moral overall than non-working mothers. Maybe you are considering staying home with your children but are afraid of losing your sense of independence. If you want to be home with your children but also maintain your sense of self, you should consider working from home. There are many jobs out there that have flexibility for moms and that can make you a decent income. Of course, you should research any opportunity first because scams do exist, but there are legitimate options for home businesses that allow you to be home with your children and continue to contribute financially. These options have worked for many moms, why not you?