Booting Babysitters
The Growing Trend In Childcare Reduction & Why Parents Are Choosing To Parent Full-Time
When my friend Ann was laid off due to turbulent American economic crisis this year, she spent the first week wondering if she’d return to work. With a full-time working husband (who happened to carry the health insurance) and two young children in daycare, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself for the first few days of “freedom”. After relishing hours in the bubble filled tub and a day curled up with a great book, she knew it was time to make a decision. She could either struggle to find a new job or she could pull the kids out of day care and instantly venture into “Stay-At-Home” land.After talking with her husband, she decided finding a job may be difficult considering the economic situation and anything she’d find would likely pay less than she’d been making before. Thus, to save money and stress they chose to take the second option.
Ann is not alone, experts predict that further reduction of childcare will be seen in 2009. With parents using babysitters less often, letting go of their full and part time nannies and working less, childcare is returning “home” for a large number of American families. Yet experts can’t agree on the reasoning parents are choosing to manage 90% of their child’s care themselves. Some think it is purely financial fluctuations – parents finding it more cost effective to stay at home and make money on the side while others think it is a priority shift where mothers across the country are feeling the need to care for their children themselves.
Schools are also feeling the effect. More parents are choosing to skip pre-school opportunities for their children (educational childcare with a fee) and are engaging their child in early education lessons at home instead. This could point to socialization and learning concerns but also could mean big savings for families that are tightening their belts.
A few years ago, “date nights” for married couples were extremely popular and a trend many parents took full advantage of. Not only did they escape the stress of parenting for a few hours each week during their date, but they also had the opportunity to re-connect with their spouse. Marriage experts like Ellen Kreidmad, Ph.D agree marriages take work. “Added attention to the marriage via dates not only strengthens the marriage but also the parenting capabilities within the family.” Today these evenings out are becoming less and less popular, with more couples choosing to stay in and forgo evenings at the movies or to dinner alone. The fact is, fewer families have the financial means to engage in weekly “date nights”. Studies show that families are spending less on entertainment than they have in ten years. This means less work for the family babysitter.
Family scientists believe parents are becoming more and more interested in the quality of life their children have and less interested in career success. The “stay-at-home-parent” trend is returning both willingly and non-willingly (due to layoffs and other job reductions). While Ann entered the insane world of “Stay-At-Home” parenting with trepidation, many parents relish the idea. Ever since becoming a mother two years ago, my friend Shannon, dreamed of getting the opportunity to spend each day with her son. This year, she made her dream come true, giving up a secure job to realize her “stay-at-home” vision. For Shannon, it was not a question of money but a parenting choice.
While childcare trends are changing and are moving toward an industry reduction, there will always be parents who rely heavily on outside childcare. Whether or not parents choose to utilize childcare is a personal family decision most likely influenced by a combination of economic factors and family ideals.
The truth is every parent and family is different. My pal Ann recently realized staying at home with two young children is “just not her thing”. She personally needs the stimulation which comes from working outside of the home and feels her children would benefit from getting the “best of her” when she does so. So, for the past four months she has mailed resume after resume out to potential employers, without much success and no job offers as of yet. Meanwhile, Shannon has been quite thrilled with her choice to stay at home and completely loves every second of her new adventure. Parents need to choose what’s best for their lifestyle even if it means letting go of the family babysitter.
