There can be much debate about mothers/fathers being at home with the kids, but the reality is that most Mothers (and possibly Fathers) would rather be with their kids than employing others to do the job. When ours were young we took the decision to be less well off and me stay at home, and when they were marginally older I chose to go back to work but on nights as a nurse so I could fit in all my commitments. I was exhausted - worked nights, came home and cleaned, cooked, took them to and from school, helped with homework, and then went back to work. We had a few advantages - our qualifications and CVs and our clarity of purpose: they were our children and we were damn well going to take care of them! And it was worth it! We have our challenges, there have been turbulent teenage times, but overall they have had some values and morals demonstrated to them and have taken that on. Given the chance again,even with help with childcare which we would not take, we would do the same thing and work our a**es off to care for our own.
