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Who works harder: Stay-at-home mothers or working mothers?
Results so far:
| At-home | 46% | 52 votes | Total: 114 votes | |
| Working | 54% | 62 votes |
At-home
by Richard Smith
Created on: July 10, 2010
My wife has done both. She was a stay at home mother for three years. Then she had to return to work to help with the bills. She worked harder at home then she does at work, but if she could she would prefer to be home raising the children. When you are a stay at home mother there is much more to do then just clean house.
Stay at home mothers take care of everything for the household. Taking kids to activates, doctors, helping out with the school functions, keep the house clean, and make homemade meals three times a day. A stay at home mother job is 24 hours a day because she is there for everyone’s needs.
Being a stay at home mother is more beneficial to the children as well. Mom is always there to take the kids to parties, school functions, or after school activates. While working Mom can’t always be there for the kids because she has to work. The kids miss out on going to birthday parties, after school actives, and having Mom always there when they need her.
When a mother is working there are many things that don’t get done as often because she doesn’t have time. The house is not as clean as it would be if she was home, kids are often given chores to help keep up with all the work that needs to be done. Plus teens are often left home alone while mom works. This causes the teen to get away with more and possibly get into trouble.
Stay at home moms know more about their children and what is going on in the child’s life then a working mom. Working moms work but then due to the lack of time usually buy dinner out or use fast meals to hurry and feed the family. Then they squeeze in the kids homework and everyone heads to bed. Mom simply doesn’t have the proper time that the kids need. If the kid struggles in school they will require more attention then a working Mom can give before their proper bedtime.
Stay at home moms tend to spend more time at home then running the roads with friends or office parties. Often working moms spend extra time hanging out with co-workers or going to company parties. Stay at home moms don’t ever get this luxury, their whole world is the home and the children.
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Working
by Katrina Norman
Created on: July 14, 2010 Last Updated: July 20, 2010
There really is no debate here. Working moms do it all. At least the good ones do.
Yes, it's true, stay at home moms devote their entire lives to the home and family. They work a full time 24/7 job, which is no easy task. They deserve to be honored and respected just as any other hard working person in America (or anywhere else in the world).
Working moms, however, work twice as hard. They not only have to maintain their duties to their "paying job"; they also take on every bit as much of the "home" job of being mom. They have to fit everything into a tighter schedule, juggle things around to make it all fit, and end up with even less time or appreciation as a stay at home mom.
There may be some working moms who stay late to chat with a co-worker, or stop off to go shopping on their way home from work; but not every working mom is like that. Most working moms wouldn't even know what to do if someone offered them some "me time".
Working moms help financially support the household while still maintaining all of the chores and responsibilities they would if they weren't taking on the additional responsibilities of making a living outside the home. She is still expected to cook, clean, do the laundry, care for the children, do the grocery shopping, and make (and keep) all of the medical appointments. She still runs the household errands, still buys and wraps the holiday gifts, and still is expected to have the energy to tell her hubby (if she has one) how great he is.
A woman's duty to her home and family does not diminish when she works outside of the home. The expectations are still there and for most women - failure is not an option. They toil and sacrifice for their family to provide, nurture, and support with every once of their being. To rob them of the respect and validation of just how much they put into each and every day would be cruel and unjust.
Some women work out of the home because they like to have a feeling of accomplishment other than that of raising a family. Other women work out of the home because they have no choice. Bills must be paid. The family needs must be met. Before those with the luxury of the choice go judging working moms, please, keep that in mind.
Learn more about this author, Katrina Norman.
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