Whether a working mom, stay-at-home mom or somewhere in between, none of us come to that decision lightly and I know we all have “grass is greener” moments.
As a full-time working mom of two small kids, I definitely have days where I think how lovely it would be if the house and my kids were my only priority. I could get some laundry done before 8pm and not wake up at 4:30am. Not gonna say that doesn’t sound appealing sometimes. But I also know there are stay-at-home moms who have laundry piling up and would laugh at my daydream of having time to do such things while caring for their little ones.
As a working mom, I have seen first hand some of the benefits it instills in my kids. And as it turns out, there are actual studies on this topic. Who knew?!
Working moms, this is for you on those days when you long for greener grass.
Ten ways your kids may benefit from having a working mom:
1) You could be setting your child up for future career success. Daughters of working moms are far more likely to be employed as adults. They are also more likely to be in supervisory positions, compared to daughters whose mothers stayed at home.
2) Kids of working moms are more independent. They are more likely to do things like pack their own lunch, learn how to do laundry or properly clean. Life skills, in my opinion. When they go off to college, independence may be less of a shock.
3) Kids do better in school. There are now studies that show kids of working moms do better both academically and behaviorally in school. Now, this does not mean that every kid with a working mom is a perfect child (trust me!), but better grades and behaviors is a trend.
4) Working moms tend to be happier. This is a huge factor in any household. When parents are happy, they have more energy, they can play more, and they can have more of a sense of humor. When parents are happy, their relationships with one another are good; this rubs off on everyone. I will tell myself this when my alarm goes off at 4:30 am to remind myself how happy I should feel.
5) Financial security. This is not the case in all situations. There are working single moms out there who are just barely making it (you rock!!!) and dual-income families struggling more than single-income households. But, for the most part, being a working mom means you are ensuring your children are able to have more financial security. For me, I like being able to sign my kids up for extracurricular activities or take (reasonable) vacations without feeling like I am pinching pennies for it.
6) Men whose mothers had a job are more likely to help out around the house. They spent 17 minutes more each week on housework. Sharing the work between parents is likely to lead to more stable marriages.
7) Kids get quality time. Working moms are constantly balancing mom life with work life. For me, I think my kids benefit from quality over quantity. I think being a working mom makes me more fun since the mom guilt pushes me to plan fun activities for them regularly. Once kids are school aged, there honestly isn’t a shocking difference in the number of hours that working moms vs. stay-at-home moms spend with them.
8) Daughters of working moms earn 23% more than daughters of stay-at-home moms. This fact really surprised me. I think having a mom who worked can help drive our daughters more early on, which may increase their earning potential. Sons of working moms are not reported to earn more and research indicates this is because society “expects” men to work.
9) Kids see equality. My kids definitely see me as the easier parent. I cuddle more and give in more quickly. And while I do expect my husband to do things like take out the trash (you know, chores that men should do), I know that when it comes to the daily grind of life that my kids do not see gender roles. There are no expectations of me just because I am a woman and I like that my kids are being raised in that environment.
10) Kids see that mom is a smart, independent human being. I talk to my kids about my day – meetings, funny things that happen and how much I love my job. I love that my kids know I am my own person and that I have a multi purpose in life.
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