The second section in this chapter that caught my eye was
infant day care. Roughly 15 percent of infants worldwide receive regular care
from a nonrelative who is both paid and trained to provide it. In the United
States only 20% of infants experience care provided by their mothers, but in
Canada 70% of infants are cared for by their mothers. To me this is a drastic
difference. In Canada and England, mothers have paid leave for an entire year
after their child’s birth, and many choose to wait even longer before returning
to work. In the United States paid leave is shorter and less certain, and about
58% of married mothers of babies younger than 12 months are in the labor force.
These statistics definitely caught my eye, I have always imagined the United
States to be the best place on Earth but the fact that new mothers are not
allowed to watch and care for their children during their first year sits
uneasy with me. The economy is in a really rough spot right now for Americans
and many mothers need to work in order to provide for their children. Therefore
if they are not being paid for their time off they most likely can’t afford to
take the time off. The two types of nonmaternal care mothers tend to turn to
are family day care and center day care. Family day care is care that occurs in
the home of someone to whom the child is not related and who usually cares for
several children of various ages. Center day care is care that occurs in a
place especially designed for the purpose, where several paid adults care for
many children. Usually the children are grouped by age, the day-care center is
licensed, and providers are trained and certified in child development. Many
believe that center day care is a better option because ideally the center has
ample safe space, appropriate equipment, trained providers, and two adults for
a group of five or fewer infants. This type of setting tends to advance
cognitive and social skills for toddlers because toddlers are intrigued by
other toddlers, and have a lot to learn from interaction. I think that if mothers have to return to work
in order to provide for their family they should choice to put their child in a
center day care. I personally was raised with my mother as my primary caregiver
and when she was unavailable a family member or close family friend cared me
for. My mother was able to take off work and raise both my brother and sister
until they started kindergarten. But with the seven-year age gap between my
sister and I my mother had to return to work before I started school. My mother
always claims I am more aggressive and defensive than my siblings and she
blames it on herself for not being there at all times for me like she was with
my siblings. In 2009 Jacob did a study and determined that infants with
extensive nonmaternal care tend to become more aggressive later on in life.
Reading this makes me kind of angry just like you said. America is suppose to be the ideal place to have and raise a family. Those statistics are ridiculous! I understand that our economy is not the best but I believe that it is really important for a mother or father to be the primary caregiver from the time of birth till the child is going into kindergarden. Although this was not the case for me, I believe the government should allow more maternal leave. I was raised by my mom and close family members. Although you said the center day care was a better choice I do not believe that a non-relative person should be raising the child. One of my mom's friends put her daughter into one of those centers and there was not much one on one time with her. She was often neglected and did not receive the attention that a young child should get. I believe that the study you mentioned in 2009 by Jacob is valid. I was the same way. My older brother and I are a lot more aggressive than my little brother. My younger brother was raised by either my mom or my grandma. My older brother and I were raised my like five different relatives. I feel like that makes a lot of sense as to why we are the way we are now. Thanks for sharing all of this good information!!
ReplyDeleteI decided to respond to your blog because I was going to discuss the effects of daycare in childhood. Those statistics are horrible. Other countries have it good when it comes to maternity leave. An entire year is so much more beneficial for the baby and its mother when compared to the US maternity leave. Within in that time, milestones of infants are made and critical development grows. In the US, I believe with certain benefits like short-term disability and maternity leave, the amount of time is around 6 weeks which can be extended if short-term disability, vacation days, and personal days are applicable. Still, not enough time for baby and mother.
ReplyDeleteThen when I think more about maternity leave, it's not just the lack of paid time off that is a factor, in today's society mothers do not want to stay home all the time, they want to work. Now, if daycare is not a financial option the parents typically find a relative, friend, or neighbor to watch their children while they go to work. Personally, I cannot say if I ever have a kid, I won't work because I have a very strong work ethic and I have no problem working well over 40 hours a week. However, I say that right now when I do not have a kid. I'm not sure how I would feel if or when I would have to make the decision whether or not to stay home.
My childhood consisted of minimal babysitters and if my sister and I had to be watched by someone other than our parents, it was usually our grandparents. My dad worked swing shift at Armstrong and my mom is an ER nurse. I remember when my dad would work 3p-11p, he would drop us off at the ER and we would stay there in the staff lounge until my mom got off work at around 4p. This worked out for the most part, especially when my sister and I were both in school. My parents had this system worked out because they could not afford to put us in daycare or pay a babysitter to watch us.
Then, I think about whether or not my parents working effected my attachment to them. Growing up and now I am very much attached to my mom. Even though I do not live at home anymore and I do not see her everyday, I call her several times a week. When I was younger, I hated to be home alone or home with just my sister. I do not think this is because my mom worked, but I think it is because my mom suffers with many chronic illness and she was frequently in the hospital. I won't go into details, but I have witnessed some traumatic events that happened to my mom and grandma that definitely effected me as a child.
So, basically, it the effects on childhood attachment cannot be based solely on one factor. Whether it is short maternity leave, traumatic events, daycare, etc. I am finding that it is a combination of factors that affect attachment.