It is much better for children to be raised by stay-at -home parents then the be raised by day cares, nannies, and babysitters. No one, no matter their qualifications, education and training, will love a child as much as that child's parents. When adults make the choice to have children, they must accept the responsibilities of being a parent. One of those responsibilities is raising that child. I know two couples, both with one child each; one has chosen to let others raise their child and the other has chose to raise their child themselves. The stories of these two children, just a few weeks different in age, are very different. These are the stories of those two children, Hailee and Devon.
Hailie's parents, Randy and Tina, wake up early everyday and get ready to go to work, both of them. They eat breakfast together, double check that their briefcases have all the paperwork they finished up last night after supper and off they go. They aren't going to work, though. They are going to pick up Hailee from the night nanny. Seeing that they are running behind, as usual, they quickly buckle up the three year old and they are off again. This time, they are headed to the daytime babysitter across town. Traffic didn't allow them to catch up on the time they lost, so they hurriedly leave Hailee. Now they are finally on their way to work. At two o'clock, Hailee has an appointment with the child development specialist. Both the daytime babysitter and night nanny noticed that she isn't talking much. She doesn't know her colors and is confused by circles and squares. The daytime babysitter made the appointment, with Randy and Tina's permission. Insurance card in hand, she checks Hailee in at the front desk and they wait. By half past six, Randy and Tina are off work and headed to the daytime babysitter to pick her up. They are both tired and still have work that must be completed at home. They grab Hailee from the daytime babysitter. Ten minutes later, they are pulling into the night nanny's driveway. It is well past seven and she doesn't appreciate it when Hailee is late for supper. Dinner is waiting for her and they quickly put her in the high chair. Randy and Tina are then able to drag themselves home, eat there supper and finish up the day's paperwork. After supper, Hailee is given a bath and put in the playpen she uses for a bed. She stands up and watches the door close behind the night nanny. She keeps standing there until her little legs are too tired to hold her up. She curls up with her pillow and goes to sleep.
Devon's parents, Jack and Cassie, wake up early everyday, too. Jack gets ready for to go to work while Cassie gets Devon dressed and starts breakfast. The three of them sit down for breakfast together. They talk about their plans for the day. Jack has a conference call first thing and two meetings after lunch. Cassie is taking Devon to the park, if it doesn't rain. If it rains, there is an art show at the local college they will go see. Devon chatters endlessly about the slide and the swings. Jack grabs his briefcases and, two kisses for his best girls later, he is out the door and on his way to work. Cassie washes the dishes as Devon sits at the kitchen table, drawing pictures. After the dishes are washed and put away, Cassie gets dressed. They are going to have a busy day. It is now raining, so she gathers their raincoats and they are now off to the art show. Jack takes his conference call and the two meetings go well. Devon and Cassie look at the artwork the college students have on display. After admiring the student's work, they head back home for lunch. Devon holds the cups as Cassie pours the juice. They sit down and eat before Devon's nap which gives Cassie time to do more dishes and start supper. Devon is up and playing dolls Cassie when Jack gets home. Jack leaves his briefcase at the door and takes the doll Devon hands him, taking over for Cassie. Cassie returns to finish supper; she has to toss the salad and warm up the potatoes. They all sit down and eat. Devon looks at her books as Jack and Cassie rinse the dishes to be washed later. Then, they go into the living room to watch the latest Disney movie Jack picked up in his way home from work at the video rental store. After the movie, Cassie gives Devon a bath. She and Jack both put Devon to bed for the night. They collapse on the couch and began to mentally prepare for tomorrow, dreading the dishes still left to finish.
Randy and Tina drive a BMW to work and a brand new Lexus is parked in garage of their four-bedroom house. Two of the bedrooms have been converted into offices so they can each work from home privately. The other bedroom is a guest room for when they have overnight guests. Hailee doesn't even have her own bedroom. Jack drives an 82 Chevy pick-up to work and Cassie uses the 97 Toyota mini-van. They have a three bedroom house. Cassie has her own room. The third bedroom is a guestroom/playroom/computer room that is also used for extra storage.
Hailee has just been diagnosed with separation anxiety and a speech delay. The development specialist explains to the daytime babysitter how to help Hailee learn her colors and shapes. The daytime babysitter takes the two copies of the hand-outs she is given that shows her how to help Hailee with her speech. She puts one copy in her purse and the other in the bag she carries with Hailee's things. Rand and Tina will find it when they pack Hailee's clothes for the next day.
Devon just had a tea party with Cassie. She then practices writing her letters as Cassie watches. Bored with this, she invites Cassie to sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb." They both make up impromptu dances in the living room. Devon runs to her bedroom to get a puzzle. She brings it back into the living room. Cassie is thankful for the chance to sit down and catch her breath; dancing can be quite a work out. Devon and Cassie clap for each other as the puzzle begins to take shape. Within minutes, Elmo and Big Bird appear.
This is a true story of two three-year old little girls. They are both playmates of my daughter. I met the daytime babysitter at church and Jack, Cassie and Devon live across the street. The daytime babysitter brings Hailee over a couple times a week to play. Cassie also brings Devon also over a few times a week. The differences in those two girls are so obvious that even my daughter can see them. "Hailee doesn't have many words," my daughter tells me after she tries to get Hailee to talk with her. "Devon drew this one," my little one says, handing me two pictures, one from each of the girls.
I believe it is better for children to be raised by stay-at-home parents. I will always believe that a mother's place is with her children, in their home. I will also always believe that a father should help out as much as possible after he comes home from work. Yes, I am old-fashioned and not the least bit interested in keeping up with the Jones'. Every parent must do what will make their children happy and productive members of society. We must do all we can to give them the best possible life. Who do you think has the best life - Hailee or Devon?