What It Really Means To Be A Stay-at-home Parent

Have you decided to take care of and run your home while your partner works outside the home? Many women and men make this decision voluntarily and purposefully. But they are often not recognized as real workers.

How are you? Do you think it is not a “real” job to stay home with the children full time? In that case, we will try to help you change your mind.

The story of the home parent

Historically, women have had the responsibility to stay at home and take care of the family as housewives. Cleaning, shopping, cooking and caring for the children were all tasks for the adult who had no gainful employment.

In prehistoric times, it was the men who had the task of hunting and fighting. It probably had to do with their physical strength and size. Meanwhile, the women stayed at home and took care of the family.

This division of responsibilities was cleverly designed to help families survive, literally. From that lifestyle developed the idea that women were meant to stay at home.

But social progress has made both men and women from the 20th century onwards consciously make the decision to take responsibility for their homes and become real home parents.

The importance and tasks of a home parent

Being a stay-at-home parent is actually like being a business leader and manager. A home parent takes on the task of maintaining balance in the home. It’s not just about cooking, cleaning and shopping, but instead about being aware of every detail related to the family and the home.

Managing or managing the household income is a task that is usually considered part of being a stay-at-home parent.

The home parent has also traditionally been the one who takes care of the children. But just because you do it does not mean that you give up another task. You just add it to the long list of daily responsibilities.

Cleaning and maintaining the house, cooking and buying everything needed for the home is also part of being a home parent. Therefore, it can clearly be said that a home parent is the business leader and head of the household.

The choice to be a stay-at-home parent

With all that said, why would anyone choose to be a stay-at-home parent? Here are some of the key reasons:

• Difficulties in the labor market that drive a person to stay at home, perhaps because there are no alternatives.
• A joint decision by the family members that it is best for one of them to stay at home and take care of the family.

• One of the parents may want to be available and present in the upbringing of the children as much as possible.
• In the event of unexpected events, it is convenient for someone to have an open and flexible schedule throughout the day.
• Running a home requires interdisciplinary  knowledge : accounting, chemistry (when it comes to cleaning products), culinary skills…
• You can finish the job at any time – there are no contracts or advanced paperwork.
• It is a good and valid alternative for anyone who chooses it based on responsibility, maturity and free will.

It can be difficult to make the risky decision to become a professional home parent in today’s modern society. There is now a lot of pressure on everyone to make a career, support themselves and have a “good” job.

Personal success has more to do with what you really need and want to be really happy.

Being a stay-at-home parent is a career, a profession… even if it does not receive any official recognition, title or salary. But in recent times, society has begun to become more aware of the effort and skills that are really required to run a household.

November 3 has now been established as National Housewife Day to celebrate all the hard work that individuals put into taking care of their homes.