One mother expresses her personal experience and opinion on the effects of her employment on the children "I am happy to see support for the mom who wants to work outside of the home. By my children seeing me go to work, I am teaching them the values of hard work, commitment, and responsibility. I am also showing them that mothers and fathers share in all responsibilities of raising a family, financial and housework. There is no doubt in either my mind or my child's that the first priority is each other. Out times together are positive. I have seen too many stay at home moms yelling at their children and worse, the children yelling at their mothers. I do not think this is the message that stay at home moms like to give. Their lives are now more enriched, never been happier, and that they are more fulfilled. Actually, I think a lot of stay at home moms justify their laziness and lack of ambition by saying they are staying at home for the benefit of the children" (abcnews.com 2).

For many years women have believed that if they returned to work after having children, their children would be harmed by the lack of a mother's presence. This belief is no longer true. Studie

High quality day care centers provide opportunities for exploring and creating, for positive social interactions, and for language learning. ABC news reported that recent studies have proven "The higher the quality of child care in the first three years of life the greater the child's language abilities at 15, 24, and 36 months" (Schmid 2). Thousands of preschoolers live in two different worlds; that of their family and that of the day care center. In fact many of these preschoolers spend most of their waking hours at the day care center. Effective social skills are an important part of a child's life; these skills are often taught and stressed at day care centers. Children in day care interact with other kids on a constant basis; this interaction allows the children to enhance their communication and motor skills. Another advantage of group care is the friendships that children develop with their peers during the care. One expert observed that children's "contacts with each other often develop a sibling-like quality" (Webb 43). Some children involved in this study even went to one another's homes to have dinner, to play on weekends, and occasionally, to stay for the night.

The book Families that Work assures mothers that "the change in maternal roles can only have positive effects, helping children to become more responsible and more independent" (Kamerman 8). Children of working mothers often complete some of the tasks that the mother would normally perform. For example many children with two working parents learn more quickly to clean their rooms, fix their own snacks, and pick out their own school clothes. These children also learn to rely on themselves or further research for answers to the night's homework questions. A study conducted in March of 1979 clearly indicated "that being assigned chores around the house and yard is a developmental process" (Gerstel 208). This amount of responsibility can teach a child many lessons

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mothers Children, Louis Hoffman, day care, children mothers, stay home moms, stay home, home moms, children learn, day care center, day care centers, children children, responsibility independence importance, independence importance education, role model, kamerman 13, families mother, studies proven,
Approximate Word count = 1320
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)