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Stay at Home Parent Vs. Working Parent

There is a wide range of different parenting styles throughout the participants of the series, but I wanted to focus on a stay at home parent versus a working parent. What are the pros and cons to each life choice and how does it affect the family dynamic?

Suzy is a mother to three kids and decided that she wanted to stay home and take care of the kids full time. Her husband provides financially for the family as the owner of his own company. Lynn is a mother of two girls and works full time. She shares household duties with her husband who also works full time. 

A stay at home parent has the ability to focus all of their time and energy to raising and caring for their kid(s). The children also spend more time with their parent. For a stay at home parent, raising the kid(s) is a full time job. They don't get to leave work after a hard and stressful day because their home is their work. They also work for free, which means their partner has to be financially stable enough to provide for the whole family. Web MD has a great article that lists some things you need to consider when choosing to be a working or a stay at home parent. 

A working parent has the stress of juggling a job and the responsibilities of being a parent. It is a lot of work and is made easier with the help of the spouse. Sharing the responsibilities of raising a child makes life much easier on the entire family. While a working parent may not have as much time with their child, they may be able to afford more with the extra income. Kyle Spencer writes about being a working parent on the website Parenting.

The moral of the story is that parenting is hard whether you are a stay at home parent or a working parent. Both lifestyles have their ascent and their downfalls, neither one is superior to the other. Parents must look at the aspects of their family's life and choose which option is best suited for them.