It is a parenting debate as old as ‘breast is best’, and it seems the working mum versus stay-at-home mum argument is rearing its head yet again; and this time, working mums come out on top.
According to new research by LSE and Oxford University, the young children of working mums have a better grasp on life skills than those of stay-at-home mothers.
The study found toddlers whose mothers don’t go into the office every day have lower capabilities in terms of talking, social skills, movement and everyday skills including dressing and going to the lavatory.
However a child psychologist has cautioned that studies like this overlook one fundamental component: You know your family best and should do what suits you.
“What children need more than anything is happy, confident, fulfilled, relaxed, stable, emotionally available parents, so parents should do whatever is best for them and their family,” said psychologist Amanda Gummer, from Fundamentally Children.
“A frazzled, guilt-ridden working mum is not desirable but neither is a bored, unfulfilled stay-at-home mum who feels undervalued.”
Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum agrees.
“How your child is developing and the type of social skills they have has much more to do with their individual personality and home environment than whether their mum works,” she said.
“Children brought up in the same family and even twins have different abilities, so mums shouldn’t read too much into this.”
There you have it, you do you.