by Laurie Kaiser

Created on: March 04, 2009

What job is more important than nurturing a child? Those who care for the children of others-babysitters, day-care workers and teachers-are underpaid.

Unfortunately, child care is seen as women's work, and what is viewed as women's work has traditionally been devalued. Even now, in this so-called enlightened era-whether men or women are doing it-the work of rearing children is still viewed as relatively unimportant.

The average annual cost of day care for babies and toddlers in the U.S. is $8,150, according to Babycenter.com. The average cost for preschoolers, who require less hands-on attention, is $6,423. Imagine paying someone a yearly salary of under $10,000 to care for a child 40 hours a week. That's less than minimum wage. Even the occasional evening babysitter is worth more than $5 per hour.

Parents who place their children in the care of others often expect care givers to do more than the parents would be willing to do themselves. Babysitters, day-care workers and teachers are expected to create a safe, nurturing and mentally stimulating environment over an extended period. Day-care workers and teachers are also expected to meet the individual needs of children within a diverse group. It's exhausting work.

The ugly truth is this: Children are demanding, and caring for them is a job many Americans-even those who could afford to stay at home-would rather pay someone else to do. As a teacher who left her career to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom when her daughter was born, I report first hand that working outside the home in a job that doesn't feature children is more relaxing than caring for children full time. When my daughter entered elementary school, I returned to work-as a magazine editor.

Some of the blame can be laid on American society as a whole, which tends to discourage parents who would like to remain at home with their children. We're beseiged by media reports of studies essentially diminishing the role of the parent in child care. From these studies we're led to believe that full-time parenting is hopelessly out of date and economically impossible. But common sense dictates that being cared for by the parent is usually better for the child than being looked after by a stranger. (No one is going to think as highly of your child as you do.) And many households could learn to operate on a single income. In fact, many may be forced to in this recessionary economy.

When you consider all the demands of the job, babysitting and day-care costs in the U.S. are a bargain.

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