Comments on: Children perform better if mother stays at home http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2008/11/08/children-perform-better-if-mother-stays-at-home/ Beating Them With Their Own Sickle And Hammer Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:45:51 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Beverley Smith http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2008/11/08/children-perform-better-if-mother-stays-at-home/comment-page-1/#comment-105913 Beverley Smith Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:38:00 +0000 http://www.stoptheaclu.com/?p=16313#comment-105913 Instead of looking at this issue in terms of women being liberated from child-rearing and able to freely pursue earning, we need to look at the common sense observation that anyone you love, spouse, partner, parent, is not happy to be replaced by a paid stand-in. Small children thrive where they feel loved. We should look at the role of taking care of kids as vital to the wellbeing of kids, vital to the maintenance of a productive, healthy generation and therefore useful work in an economy. Being home with the children is not'staying home' or opting out of work. It is taking on vital work, intense 18 hour days, often to do lifesaving tasks, and the women's movement is not fulfilled until we value this role as much as we value paid work. Then women can choose which' work' to do as their hearts lead them. Instead of looking at this issue in terms of women being liberated from child-rearing and able to freely pursue earning, we need to look at the common sense observation that anyone you love, spouse, partner, parent, is not happy to be replaced by a paid stand-in. Small children thrive where they feel loved. We should look at the role of taking care of kids as vital to the wellbeing of kids, vital to the maintenance of a productive, healthy generation and therefore useful work in an economy. Being home with the children is not’staying home’ or opting out of work. It is taking on vital work, intense 18 hour days, often to do lifesaving tasks, and the women’s movement is not fulfilled until we value this role as much as we value paid work. Then women can choose which’ work’ to do as their hearts lead them.

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