by Juliannah Jamarin

Created on: April 20, 2009

Without a doubt, family is and should always be more important. While a career can certainly be a rewarding experience, family, especially children should be the focal point. Working couples can find it very difficult to juggle career and family. It is by far better for one parent to stay home and raise the children.

Anyone who thinks career is more important than family probably should not have a family. In these modern times, people seem to have forgotten the importance of a parent teaching, nurturing and caring for children. Sure children seem to do ok when raised by other caregivers, but they will ultimately benefit from the love of a parent.

Having a parent at home not only makes for a stabilizing environment, but also provides security and love for all family members. When women choose to stay home, the house is not just simply a house, but a home. For some women the thought of leaving children to go have a career is unthinkable. Others decide that not using the hard-earned college education is unacceptable. Either way, family has to be the more important of the two.

Having a great family life is a rewarding experience that will continue forever even after retirement and beyond. People can never replace family events such as baby's first steps, school events and other precious moments. No one should have to regret missing life's special moments. Life goes by too fast and people should consider the future when deciding between career and raising a family.

Some would cite financial difficulty when considering having a parent stay at home. The answer should and can be to simply budget purchases and living within the family's means. Families have and do get by on one car, cheaper housing and stretching the dollar. Preparing meals and finding alternatives to going out to expensive places for entertainment can help a family stay within budget.

Single parents do have to support families. There are ways for a single person to work but still be actively raising a family. For instance, the single parent might choose to live at home with his or her parents and work at night. Working from home is another option to explore. Sometimes life events make things difficult but many people manage to find solutions and then make those solutions work.

Choosing between career and family should not even be a question. Developing another human being is one of the most important jobs on earth. In America, people do have the freedom to choose between a career and family. People should give this issue some very serious thought before making a decision. It is important to remember that choices made early on can have profound effects in later life. Planning today can help yield a happier tomorrow.

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