The Case For Staying Home Essay

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Dating back to the Aristotelian era, it was widely accepted to recognize humans as social animals, or, moreover, the byproduct of its social precedent. Even today, the greater majority of people live to meet society’s expectations; to get an education, to contribute in the workforce, and to reproduce so that the cycle may ensue in future generations. Attempting to meet such expectations is often remarkably overwhelming as we crudely divide our time for work, home and relationships, the societal trifecta. Albeit, choosing to live up to what society paints as ideal often means for no such division of time, but rather simultaneous integration of all three aspects of life- work, home, and relationships. Parenting is an exceptional example of society’s …show more content…

Claudia Wallis notes how “sacrific[ing] paychecks and prestige for time with the family” was in the best interest of her entire household in her piece, “The Case for Staying Home.” This transparently genuine devotion to being an active role in a child’s development is venerable, albeit, it comes with its limitations. As the scale is tipped in favor of solely relationships, work and home life is left under the weight of this imbalance which may lead to some financial instability. In Amelia Tyagi’s, “Why Women Have to Work,” the author asserts that the cost of living has risen to such an unprecedented rate, that a single paycheck is not sufficient enough to sustain a household. Therefore, requiring the other parent to join in financially providing. This paradox between idealism and reality, of wanting to spend acute time with one’s child and the financial restraints that a single paycheck carries, speaks volumes about the hardships that working parents face. The fact of the matter is that most parents want to become exclusively devoted to their child, give up everything to give them everything, but the societal and economic demands limit either the parent, or the time spent with the child. Moreover, the balancing act that parents encounter does not have one simple

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