[Suki]

Originally Posted by noodle

I'm all for equality, but seriously, Suki?!?! What is with this statement? You sound like one of those women that preaches equality, but with a sarcastic hint of; "in reality, women are actually better!"

I didn't mean for it to sound that way. Women can aspire to so much more than being a housewife. Like I've been saying, it is fine if the woman chooses to be a housewife (and that would be the case with your mother), but what I think is unfair is when the woman quits her job because she's not given any other option, and she does so because she thinks she belongs in the house with the children. Well, women don't belong in the house. It's not a woman's job alone to take care of house chores. Of course, after giving birth, she is gonna have to take some time off (4 months or so) and take care of the baby properly, but when the child is old enough to go to day care, I don't see why she'd wanna stay home all day. Seriously, why is it expected from women to sacrifice their professional career but not men? Having a baby takes two people, so if there are any sacrifices to be made, they should be made in equal measure.

Originally Posted by noodle

I'mPersonally, I couldn't have children if me or the wife weren't prepared to stay at home and bring them up until they get to school. Seeing my nieces and nephew getting brought up by strangers kills me!

Why? They're not strangers. There's nothing wrong with having someone look after your child while you're away working. Moreover, even if I was unemployed, I'd probably still wanna take my child to day care for the reasons that have been stated before.

Originally Posted by Suki

I went to day care and I didn't grow up to be a traumatized child. I got to play with other kids while my mom was out doing her job which she needed to do in order to provide me with all the best, which she did, so I'm thankful she didn't quit her job for me.

Originally Posted by Suki

What is wrong with that? I had a nanny who'd come by our house early in the morning, wake me up, have me dressed and take me to school, then come pick me up at school and take me home, and then leave after my parents got home. I didn't think of her as an stranger taking care of me cause my parents didn't love me enough or something. She was sweet and I liked having her around. No trauma.

And day care is just fine. They are well-attended and get to play around with other kids, probably having more fun than they would if they were home with their mommy, with whom they get to spend time later in the day, so I don't see what the big deal is, really.

Originally Posted by RobinMask

I have to say I totally agree with you. I actually did psychology back in college, and one of the studies on childcare actually came to the conclusion that daycare is beneficial for children, precisely for the reasons you stated. Daycare helps children to socialise, empathise, commuinicate, and build skills such as teamwork with their peers. I actually think spending the entire time with one parent can be deteremental to a child, because it misses out on valuable experiences, it doesn't learn how to deal with strangers or its peers or other figures of authority.