When it comes to mothers and parenting, the world has always engaged itself in comparing and analyzing whether the working mothers are better than stay at home moms (SAHM). Every two years, there comes a study which states that the working mothers are better than SAHM and vice versa. While no one has been yet able to put up a final and scientific conclusion to this debate till date, this subject always comes up at various occasions due to the ever changing dynamics of the society. Still, considering the demands and challenges a mother of the twenty first century has to deal with, the preference always tilts a bit towards the working mothers. Because working mothers have to fight on various fronts on a daily basis, they are better equipped to raise their kids with a better attitude and a balanced perspective. Below are some of the aspects of parenting which can be enriched in a great way by a working mother.
Preparing the kids for the future
Every mother prepares her kids to face the eminent future when the kid has to be independent and competent. But the SAHM, in her own best capacity will always have limited resources and references to equip the child. This is where the working mother has the biggest advantage. She can bring in loads of her experience from her workspace in her home and give her child a wide range of examples to make him/her aware about what’s happening out there.
Stress management
Needless to say, working mothers are better at handling stress than SAHM (of course there are exceptions). But a majority of working mothers have to juggle work, deadlines, tasks and other priorities on a daily basis. So it becomes imperative for them to be on their toes always yet keep their calm. There is no other way to deal with the endless list of tasks other than being calm and well organized. This naturally percolates to parenting and these women teach their children the same with their own behavior.
Tick Tick Tick – Time management
Because the working mothers get less time at home than the SAHM, they make sure that its best utilized. Even in their jobs, they don’t have the option of letting the work stretch beyond a limit as they have their kids waiting for them at home. Also, weekends are well planned, well organized as it’s the longest time working moms can get with their kids. So, again, the planning, scheduling, executing, comes naturally, easily and the kids learn to respect others time. The children of a SAHM can take her for granted as she is always available for them.
A better attitude and perspective
While a SAHM mom is of course a huge source of wisdom on life in general, a working mother can add a great deal of dimensions to it. As she deals with complicated situations at work and observes life of various other people, she has a better attitude to offer to her children. She will also have a solution to many of the problems her children might face which the SAHM will lack.
This is a proven fact. Children of working mothers are more independent and can deal with smaller issues well on their own. So if they hurt themselves while playing or get into a fight with a friend, they can deal with it on their own while kids who have their mother at home might go back to her support each time which might cripple them in the long run. Also, the stay-at-home Mom can get a little more protective about their kids as they are around all the time which might slow down their growth.
Being better human beings
Working mothers can give their kids a realistic and honest opinion about their kids. They know of many people to get inspired from outside the limited scope of their family and friends. So the working mothers will always encourage their kids to perform to the best of their abilities and keep on improving. This helps the kids to become better human beings and never be proud. Of course, a SAHM mother will also do the same, but her levels of improvements will always have some limits based on her limited experience. This is where a working mother will have an edge.
In spite of all the above points, there is no ground rule that a working mother’s kids will turn out to be better than that of a stay-at-home mother. Yet, its a fact that these kids do have an advantage of a mother who they can look upto and learn. Yet, sometimes, it might depend upon the person and situation. Every mature person should give a mother her due and not judge her on her decision to work or stay at home.
