Quote:
Originally Posted by Detroitdad
Why on earth anyone would want to stay at home full time with a bunch of children is beyond me. I was the stay at home component of our family while I was in undergrad. Believe me, that was the only time that I ever looked forward to going to class. I love my daughter, but there is no way that I would willingly spend a 60 hour week at home alone with a baby, and from most of the others that I have spoken with, it is not a particularly pleasant experience.
If a significant amount of time at home can be balanced with something such as a part time job, volunteer work, or more schooling, enough to keep the adult feeling like a productive, non-isolated member of society then it is not a bad thing, I suppose. Finding a balance can make the time that parent and child spend together more enjoyable and productive.
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Historically this is not the way things worked. People lived with their extended family and child-rearing was a group activity.
The phenomenon of a woman raising her children in relative isolation is new.