The Effects Of Day Care Paper

Mrs. Wryst
Junior Honors English
September 16, 2014
The Effects of Day Care Child care is one of the most pressing issues humans face. For generations it has been a custom to have assistance with caring for children. It is common knowledge that a child needs a mother when he or she is young. What many people fail to realize is how necessary it is for a child to have their own mother, whenever possible, continuing through the toddler stage. Research is continuing to show that the effects of mother-child separation can cause mental and social disorders later. Day care clearly has a significant impact on the health of young children. How many hours children spend in day care before they go to kindergarten plays a major role in how they develop later. According to thoughtful social scientists, “in teachers’ reports of kindergartener’s social behavior, the effect of hours spent in day care is greater than the effect of the quality of parenting, and comparable to the impact of poverty” (Jenet Jacob Erickson ). From personal observation, the negative effect of too much time spent away from the mothers is regrettably apparent, and even obvious. Unfortunately, oftentimes the mothers themselves do not recognize the negative effects of separation between mother and child. A low level of maternal sensitivity, paired with more time spent in day care, and/or a lower quality of day care, will cause undesirable results. Children will tend to feel more insecure and less attached to their mothers. Children need a significant amount of one-on-one time with their mothers in order to create a stable foundation for growth. If little children are deprived of that essential time, it is sure to show later in some way. Throughout the US and around the world, more and more mothers are starting careers. Therefore, more children are going to day care. In 2010, one in four children with a working mother went to day care. These rates are increasing. Even though most people in the modern world would agree that it is admirable that so many women are becoming independent, it is unavoidable that there are consequences for the family. For children, more time in day care during early childhood results in a lowered social ability to be competent and cooperative with others, more problem behaviors, negative and even depressed moods, as well as aggression and conflict. It is troubling to think that many young children are suffering unnecessarily. Regrettably, the role of stay-at-home-mom is becoming less and less desired as the world takes on a more prominent feminist view. Although it is understandable that some mothers are working to put food on the table, there are plenty who are simply trying to climb the corporate ladder. The neglected children of these mothers are unfortunately often left wondering if they are as important to the mothers as the job. Mothers need to exhibit sensitivity throughout childhood. Many can agree it is the best way to ensure a healthy social-emotional development. It is proven that “children whose mothers exhibit low levels of sensitivity and who are in child care more than ten hours a week or in lower quality childcare are more likely to experience attachment insecurity” (Jenet Jacob Erickson). Attachment insecurity can lead to negative behavior outcomes. It is likely that neglect from mothers can even slow development. Research shows that “children who experienced more hours of child care had significantly fewer social skills and poorer work habits in the third grade” (Jenet Jacob Erickson). Preteens with extensive child care backgrounds continued to show similar results. What many mothers fail to realize is that the stability and quality of the where they are sending their children does not make up for the lost positive mother-child interactions. Whether an individual chooses motherhood or not, she must understand the importance of adapting to the role. To take on the responsibility of becoming a mother, she must understand that this is not a role that can be done carelessly in any way.
The absence of quality mother-child time can result in bad behavior later, particularly in adolescent-teenage years. Children tend to have better social-emotional development when they have a healthy attachment to their mothers. It is proven that “at age 15, children who had experienced more non-relative (non-family) child care reported more risk-taking behaviors and impulsivity, including using alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs; behaving in ways that threatened safety; and not being able to control impulses appropriately” (Jenet Jacob Erickson). Clearly, children who do not have enough sufficient one-on-one time with their mothers are the ones who grow up to be “misguided teens.” Of course, this is not the only factor and not the only answer to every situation. But, statistics imply that many cases could be cured simply with some tender love and care. With an answer as straightforward as this, it is discouraging that many insensitive and uninvolved mothers are still left wondering later why their child has developed behavioral issues.
Many could argue the fact that the ever-growing day care business across the country is a growing issue. Is the fact that so few children do not have nurturing mothers what’s helping to raise the rate of troubled kids and teens? It is disheartening to believe that the rising generations could slowly develop poorer and poorer social-emotional skills simply because of the lack of the mothers doing their parts. Who will pay the price?

Work Cited
Erickson, Jenet. "The Effects of Day Care on the Social-emotional Development of Children." Familyfacts.org. The Heritage Foundation, 2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.