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In a recent article by the Montreal Gazzette, there was some interesting findings as to the long term effects that daycare has on children compared to stay at home moms.

The article does a good job of showing both sides of the issue and refers to actual research in a NON opinionated way.
Here’s some of the highlights against daycare:

“…after the mother works full-time outside the home in the first year of life, together with consideration for the timing of the start of that work, be it at three, six, or nine months after birth: “At age 4.5, children whose mothers had worked (full-time) at three months, six months, or nine months have significantly more externalizing behaviour problems than children whose mothers did not work in the first year,” the authors write. They go on: “A similar pattern is seen at first grade.”

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Research+unclear+daycare+affects+child+development/3415733/story.html#ixzz0xACHhYVs

But the article also goes on to talk about how children in GOOD daycares develop better vocabularies and math skills then those of stay at home moms.

Here’s the question I have with what this research suggests…

While being a stay at home Mom is obviously a lot of work, from my personal observation many stay at home moms don’t spend their day actively teaching their child things.

For example, I work from home and my wife is ALSO a stay at home MOM… and every day we run our two year old son through some reading lessons, puzzles and learning games.

And while I haven’t evaluated his math skills (however you do that with a two year old), his verbal skills are off the charts.

So I’d personally be very curious to see a study that showed how children of stay at home moms, who were actively teaching their child every day with reading activities, puzzles, problem solving games and the works, would fair against the “good daycare crowd”.

Because let’s face it… the studies took the time to grade GOOD daycares vs. Bad ones, but didn’t take the time to separate out good parents vs. the lazy ones… and let’s be honest, there are lazy stay at home moms too.

I would argue that stay at home mom’s can fill the “developmental gap” that exists between daycare raised children and stay at home mom’s by creating a better learning environment in the home.  And if that is actually possible, then wouldn’t that be the best option?
You’d be able to have the higher cognitive development, WITHOUT the development of behavior problems.

That’s my take on it anyways… do you agree, disagree?

Tell me what you think by commenting below, especially if you’re a stay at home parent who has done something to help your child develop better then a child at a GOOD daycare.