Children and Nurture

Children and Nurture

I grew up in an environment that allowed me to accept almost everything that was told to me without any questions. My parents and teachers never told me anything that didn’t feel right, so I was under the impression that anyone with authority would always tell me the truth and that was that. My bubble burst about a year ago. That was the first time that I came across something that the “experts” had to say, that did not jive with my feelings on a matter; and I was not willing to just accept what they had to say. I came across then and continue to come across articles that say in essence, that it doesn’t matter if children are cared for by their mothers or day-care and in fact that sometimes day-care is better for the child. Some go on to say that parents don’t matter at all. This could not be, after-all, doesn’t the proclamation say that, “mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.”? The proclamation refers to this as a sacred responsibility. If it is a sacred responsibility for mothers to nurture their children, then that must be what is best for the child, right?

Some research tends to indicate that mothers are the best nurturers for their children. I set out to find some of this research. Baydar and Brooks-Gunn (1991), found in a study of maternal employment and its effects on children that those children who were left in the care of someone other than their mother for many hours each day had lower cognitive scores as well as more behavioral problems.

In another study by Baydar and Brooks-Gunn (1991), they found that the effects of a mother working out-side of the home and leaving their baby boy in someone else’s care was especially de...

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