Fatherly Stuff: Enrolling Your Child in Daycare VS Keeping Them Home: Which Side Are You On?

Feb 19, 2012

Enrolling Your Child in Daycare VS Keeping Them Home: Which Side Are You On?

If you’re a parent, you will eventually come at a cross roads where you will have to decide whether you will either stay home with your child, or enter (or reenter) the workforce and enroll your child in a daycare facility.
Although this decision will be made based on your own family’s circumstances, a strong case can be prepared for both sides:

The Case For Daycare:
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Being a stay at home parent might have made sense back in the 50’s, but in this day and age, considering current cost of living, more and more families are dual income now than ever before. Besides income, both parents may want the opportunity to pursue their own respective careers. This, among other things, drives the need for a reliable daycare service.
Daycares don’t call in sick as they are professional establishments. The staff members are typically well trained and most dependable programs are licensed and regulated by the state. My child will have the opportunity to interact with other kids their own age, which is beneficial in developing their social skills. With the constant interaction, sure kids can spread germs to one other, but kids need to be exposed to a little bacterium every now and then to strengthen their immune system in the long run.

The Case Against Daycare:

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While it is true most daycare staff are well trained and would likely do an awesome job, they are certainly no substitute for mom and dad. Besides, if I’m working all day, I’ll miss out on all those special milestones that make parenthood so special, like their first steps, or first words. I would rather have a firsthand account of my child’s development than to have it relayed to me by someone else.

 By being a stay at home parent, I can avoid uncomfortable clashes with daycare if something occurs there that I am unhappy with. My family is my priority and I would rather invest my time in them, than stress over trying to balance work and home life. Keeping my child at home will reduce the frequency of them coming into contact with germs that are carried by other drooling, snot-nosed kids at are enrolled. Finally, daycare can be very expensive ; that money can be allocated towards other things that will be beneficial to my child, like a college fund.





So, you’ve heard the opinions of both sides; tell us, which side are you on? If you’ve already made your decision, what were your reasons?

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