Motherhood: Making Choices About Working

A good deal of research has been done on the options for working and childcare which can help you make an informed decision, but even with all the knowledge in the world, you still have to thread your way through a messy bunch of tradeoffs.
For instance, studies have found that mothers who work are healthier than mothers who do not.1 Sounds simple, right? But behind that headline, there's a more complex truth. Research findings are almost always about the averages of groups.2 Yet you are a person, not an average! If you read a statement like "mothers who work are healthier than those who do not," you might conclude, reasonably enough, that you will be healthier if you return to work. But the statement really means only that "the average mother who works is healthier than the average mother who does not." In fact, many mothers who do not work are healthier than many mothers who do. The crux is always individual: What's right for you and your family in your particular situation. Let's look at the details that have to be considered to come up with the answer.

The Benefits of Working

The many rewards of working start with the enjoyment and fulfillment you experience from the work itself. There could be the feeling that you are using an important capacity within yourself, like a technical or managerial talent. Working offers the satisfaction of accomplishing a specific ambition (e.g., to be a teacher), and some lines of work give you the sense that you are making a contribution to society beyond your family. Certain jobs or careers also have prestige or social status. Last and usually not least, there's the additional money a job brings. As Ann Crittenden has shown in her book The Price of Motherhood, our nation's laws and policies place economic burdens and risks on all mothers, but they weigh most heavily on those who stay home with their children.

There are also pluses for the children of a working mother. Some of the physical or psychological health benefits she enjoys from working will spill over onto them - like her feeling more fulfilled, or less cranky from being cooped up with a child all day. A second paycheck means more money to buy them things, like better food and health care, or enriching experiences. Childcare carries the benefit of time with other kids and caregivers, and some breathing room from mom.3 Then there are future benefits to a child if his mom works when he's little: by not stepping off the career track - especially the fastest ones - she will probably have a larger salary when he's older.

Source: FamilyEducation

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Happiness Of Motherhood

It is not an easy job being a mother all the time with that motherly instinct. Mothers are also human beings who have a lot of hard work to do. When something goes wrong and the effects of drudgery and hard work of motherhood makes you worried that you feel that you do not seem to have the mothering instinct feel all the time. It is okay. There is no cause for worry. It is just that studies have found that the more stressed out you are, your rain becomes more emotional and the feeling of affection also decreases proportionately.

You may have wondered how some mothers seems to always love being a mother and they seem to enjoy their role very much.

When you spend a lot of time with someone you sometimes get the feeling that you don't seem t like that person anymore but that does not mean that you do not love them anymore. It is just that you are simply tired and certainly need a break from your routine work and the people around you.

Reports are saying that many people who are childless are having plenty of happiness. But does this mean those women who have children are really not that happy? They feel guilty that they are unable to cope with motherhood and start to doubt their abilities of being a mother and this feeling dampens their happiness and they begin to feel that they do not like to be a mother anymore.

It is the children who contribute to happiness in motherhood but the thing is these mothers are really tired and bored of their routine and are unable to take the stress which lies in being a mother full time.

Happiness lies in motherhood. And it is certainly hard to believe that childless women are happier. No amount of money you earn or the number of gadgets that you may own or all the comforts you may have in this modern world can fill that vacuum called happiness that only children can fill. It is children who make motherhood and fill their lives with sunshine and happiness.

Researchers are still trying to unravel the mystery of whether children are the real cause of happiness in Motherhood.

Motherhood gives a new meaning to a woman's life and she feels happiness in nurturing her children and swells in pride to see them grow and develop as adults.


Source: Healthy Status

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