>Surprising to some I suppose, I don't disagree with you. It is the reason many women chose to sacrifice their careers to stay home and care for their children (some until they start school others until they graduate) if they can afford to. I did. I stayed home with my daughter for almost two years and wished it could have been longer. I was eventually forced back into the workforce for economic reasons. I was terrified of leaving her with someone else. After a few different daycares and caregivers, my daughter's aunt and grandma were able to take care of her while I worked. Otherwise, I may have lost my mind. However, some do not have the choice. For those who do and can, it is an uphill battle all over again when they re-enter the workforce and extremely stressful being away from their child(ren).

Seems to me what changed isn't so much moms staying home, but the availability of extended family to provide support. Solomon's first daycare provider was Marshal's mother. I don't think he lost anything by spending a few days a week with his grandmother instead of his mother.

We need to do a much better job of providing the backup systems families need.

Tamar