When thinking about careers, one’s mind typically reverts to traditional occupations such as doctors, engineers, teachers and other similar professions. However, the media tends to underrepresent the dutiful life of a full-time parent. Looked down upon in society, the choice of raising a child in place of the common 9-5 job becomes viewed as a mistake, rather than the noble profession it stands as.
“I think motherhood can be considered a career. It involves hard work, dedication and skills like multitasking, problem-solving and nurturing. Stay-at-home parents may not always receive the recognition they deserve in the media, but their role is incredibly important in shaping the next generation,” junior Olivia Boyle said.
Children’s school and behavioral performance tends to increase with a parent staying at home instead of leaving for work. The inclusion of parents in day-to-day routine provides children with a nurturing environment, a beneficial factor to their overall development. Extended family time within a household proves to build strong emotional and mental skills that allow children to practice mature habits and engage in intellectual conversations.
Other benefits of staying at home include improvement in the community. Not only do these parents focus on their home life, but they frequently focus on volunteer and community work. Whether they simply take time off of work or permanently choose to stay at home, volunteer work offers a sense of contribution to the surrounding environment. These parents typically also better enjoy their time as they can find time for themselves and engage in activities they enjoy while volunteering.
A stay-at-home parent should become recognized as a job title, not just a gap in employment. Various misconceptions arise when discussing the topic of stay-at-home parents. Outsiders may believe that parents at home simply lounge around all day after sending their kids off to school, but behind-the-scenes tasks reveal the important familial duties required of parents.
Expected duties of stay-at-home parents include basic tasks such as cleaning and cooking but, under the surface, parents handle doctors’ appointments, financing scheduling, school transportation, entertainment extracurriculars and additional responsibilities. This version of parenting entails the arduous efforts to keep a household running, similar to the obligations required of a worker in an office job.
These parents, unfortunately, do not receive monetary incentives for their commitments. Unlike a typical 9-5 job, parenting becomes an all-day requirement. Hiring processes, co-workers and promotions all become daily aspects of a regular job. This becomes the incentive for several to argue parenthood does not serve as an occupation. However, someone with substantial education, experience and training in a topic becomes classified as an expert. Parents become professionals as they spend countless hours caring for their children and enduring life by their side. They also continue to learn, whether through self-help and parenting books or mistakes, which further their education, a requirement for professional careers.
“I don’t consider it a career, although I do consider it an occupation. It is definitely something that can occupy the majority of one’s time, though it isn’t a career solely because parenting isn’t a part of the societal workforce. I highly respect a parent willing to put extra work into caring for their child. Parenting is probably something many people underestimate the difficulty and even significance of as well,” junior Ron Stephen Sevidal said.
Stay-at-home parents also deserve recognition for leaving the workforce and facing a struggle to ever return. Because these parents did not participate in the workforce for so long, several places of work view the break as losing skill and interest. This makes reentering the workforce a difficult task, especially if it includes a complete change from the previous career. With clear intentions in the workforce, the transition can become easier.
Whether the practice of a stay-at-home parent remains long-term or temporarily to aid young children, the public should see the act as a dedicated career. While stay-at-home parenting ideas differ depending on the family, the workforce should credit parenthood alongside other respected jobs. Through hours of hard work and nonstop learning, stay-at-home parenting earns its place as a desirable future.
