Some of the pros of being a stay-at-home parent include more flexible hours, being able to spend more time with your children, and not having to pay for childcare. Some of the cons of being a stay-at-home parent include having to give up your career, not having as much money, and not having as much free time. In this article, we review some of the facts and figures that explain the pros and cons of being a stay-at-home parent.
Benefits of Being a Stay-At-Home Parent
Consider these benefits of being a stay-at-home parent based on various studies and surveys about the impact of stay-at-home parents:
Improved Academic Performance
One study found that 10th-grade children who had a parent stay at home when they were young achieved better grades in school than those who had working parents working away from home during early childhood. This is even true for kids who’s stay-at-home parents went back to the workplace after a few years.
Although stay-at-home parents may have more time to support their children academically, parents who work outside the home may be better able to provide financial support.
Decreased Child Care Expenses
Families that have a parent dedicated to providing child care can avoid the major expense of paying child care providers for several hours of care costs each day. The cost of child care has been steadily increasing, with working parents paying an average of $143 per week for child care costs in 2011. This is a steep rise from $84 per week in 1985. This includes payments made to family members, which may be much lower than the going rate for daycare institutions.
Lower Stress Levels for Kids
Some studies have found that children in daycare settings may have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than children who are cared for by a full-time stay-at-home parent. For example, one study showed that 63% of children in daycare experienced increased stress levels while in daycare, compared to their levels at home.
Fewer Behavior Problems
A study found that children who spend more time in child care are more likely to have behavioral and social issues. Another study found that 17% of children who receive child care outside of their homes have behavior problems.
Being a stay-at-home parent has its benefits. You’re able to spend more time with your children and get to know them better. You can also pick up on any behavioral or developmental issues early on. And, if your children are school-aged, you can devote more time to helping them adjust to a new environment.
Social Support
If parents don’t work outside the home, they may have more time to go to parenting classes or groups for stay-at-home parents. This would give them more support.
Approximately one-fifth of all parents in the United States are stay-at-home parents, and this number has remained steady since 1989, according to the Pew Research Center. In a survey conducted more than 25 years after the initial survey in 1989, the Pew Research Center found that 27% of mothers in the United States are stay-at-home parents, while the number of stay-at-home fathers has increased by 3% to 7%.
More Family Time
Many parents get satisfaction from spending time with their children and stay-at-home parents have more time to spend with their kids. A study found that on average, stay-at-home parents spend 18 hours on child care each week compared to 11 hours for working mothers. This includes stay-at-home parents of school-aged children, who may be able to spend time transporting their kids to and from school, attending field trips and events, and helping them with homework, and other parenting tasks.
More Sleep
Stay-at-home parents usually get more sleep than working parents. They sleep an average of 63 hours a week, while working parents only sleep about 58 hours a week. The extra sleep combined with more time for relaxation can help stay-at-home parents manage stress. It also gives them more balance between family time and personal time, since they’re always available as a parent.
Possible drawbacks of being a stay-at-home parent
While there are many well-researched benefits to being a stay-at-home parent, there are also some cons to consider before you decide what situation is best for your family and yourself:
Emotional Challenges
Despite its benefits, being a stay-at-home parent can be challenging and emotionally draining. While many parents experience happiness and satisfaction from raising their kids full-time, they also experience heightened levels of negative emotions, such as worry. One study showed that 41% of stay-at-home parents worry frequently compared to 34% of employed parents, indicating increased emotional stress from staying at home full-time.
A recent survey has found that stay-at-home parents are more likely to report feeling sadness and anger than working parents. This is thought to be due to the additional stress that stay-at-home parents experience. If you are considering becoming a stay-at-home parent, it is important to be aware of the potential impact on your mental health and to plan accordingly.
Longer Days
While stay-at-home parents don’t have the same type of work schedule as those who have to clock in and out of their job, they can often find themselves working for much longer stretches of the day. This can lead to burnout, stress, and other consequences associated with working too much, even though they are in a domestic setting rather than a standard workplace.
Time Away From the Workplace
not being employed to raise children can have an impact on future job opportunities. One researcher found that parents who have taken time off to care for their children and are now looking for jobs receive interview requests 4.9% of the time, while employed mothers receive them 15.3% of the time.
Social Security
There are millions of stay-at-home parents and the following is a quick summary of the benefits available to them.
If Your Spouse is Disabled
If your spouse is disabled and cannot work, they may be eligible for disability benefits depending on how long they have worked. In most cases, the disability benefits require 10 years of recent work history. However, there are some exceptions to the 10-year rule for people who become disabled at a young age.
If your spouse becomes eligible for disability benefits, there would also be benefits available to you and your children.
Benefits for You
There are two benefits that you could receive as a stay-at-home parent if your spouse becomes disabled.
Retirement Benefits
Even though your spouse is disabled, you will still be eligible for a retirement benefit when you turn 62. The retirement benefit would be the greater of your own Social Security benefit or a percentage of your spouse’s benefit. If you want a rough calculation, you can expect to receive about 35% of your spouse’s disability benefit if you file at age 62. If you wait until you reach full retirement age, you will get about 50%.
Child in Care Benefits
If you have a child at home who is under the age of 16, you may be eligible to receive a benefit known as the “child in care” benefit. This benefit typically amounts to 50% of the disabled worker’s benefit. If you have more than one child, this benefit is only payable for one child and will end when the last child turns 16.
Benefits Available to Your Children
Each child under the age of 18 will typically receive half of the disabled worker’s benefit amount. Here’s the language from the Social Security website:
Your child can get benefits if they’re your biological child, adopted child, or dependent stepchild. (Sometimes, your child could also be eligible for benefits on their grandparents’ earnings.) To get benefits, a child must have:
- A parent who’s disabled or retired and entitled to Social Security benefits
or
- A parent who died after having worked long enough in a job where they paid Social Security taxes.
The child must also be:
- Unmarried
- Younger than age 18
- 18-19 years old and a full-time student (no higher than grade 12)
or
- 18 or older and disabled. (The disability must have started before age 22.)
If Your Spouse Dies
If your spouse dies before you retire, the benefits available to you are slightly different from what you would receive if your spouse were disabled.
Benefits for You
The first is the Social Security survivor benefit, which is a monthly payout that is based on the deceased spouse’s work history. The second is the death benefit from your spouse’s life insurance policy, which is a lump sum that you would receive. If your spouse were to die, you as a stay-at-home parent would be eligible for two benefits: the Social Security survivor benefit (a monthly payout based on the deceased spouse’s work history) and the death benefit from your spouse’s life insurance policy (a lump sum).
Survivor Benefits
If your spouse dies, you may be eligible for survivor benefits at age 60 (or 50 if you are disabled). The amount of the benefit would be whichever is greater: your own Social Security benefit or a percentage of your spouse’s full retirement age benefit. For example, if you file for benefits at age 60, you could receive about 72.5% of your spouse’s full retirement age benefit. If you wait until your full retirement age to file, you would receive 100% of the benefit.
Child in Care Benefits
If you have a child under the age of 16 who lives with you, you will be eligible for the “child in care” benefit.
Benefits Available to Your Children
If you still have children at home under the age of 18, they are also eligible for a Social Security survivor benefit. The requirements for eligibility are the same as they are for disability benefits. However, instead of 50% of the worker’s benefit amount, children will receive 75% of the worker’s benefit amount.
If Your Spouse Retires
If your spouse retires, you will receive the same benefits as if they were disabled.
If You Get Divorced
So how would a divorce impact your retirement planning? You could still be eligible for a benefit from your ex-spouse if they became disabled, died, or retired as long you were:
- married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 years
- currently unmarried
Two BIG Exceptions
If any of the above scenarios apply to you, your benefit payments will be affected by two things.
The Earnings Limitation
If you are not of full retirement age, the amount of money you can make while collecting Social Security is limited. This means that if you start collecting a survivor benefit and then go back to work, there is a limit to how much money you can make before your Social Security benefit starts getting withheld.
The earnings limit only applies to individuals, not to families. For example, if you have two children at home who are 14 and 17, and you start receiving benefits, then go back to work, your benefits will stop if your earnings get too high. But if your children start working, they will each be subject to the same earnings limit.
The Family Benefit Maximum
The Family Maximum would be 180% of your deceased spouse’s benefit amount. The Family Maximum Benefit amount is the maximum monthly amount that can be paid on a worker’s benefit to their family. For example, if your spouse dies and you have 3 children under the age of 18, the Family Maximum would be 180% of your deceased spouse’s benefit amount, so not all the children could receive 75% of the benefit.
There is a limit on how much a family can receive in benefits, but it differs depending on the situation. The maximum monthly benefit an individual can get from their work record is usually between 150 to 180% of their full retirement age benefit.
Where to Find Help
The rules for Social Security benefits can be confusing because there are different benefits available depending on your retirement status, whether you have children, and whether those children are adults or minors. If you have questions, you can leave a comment below or join my FREE Facebook members group. This group is active and has people who are willing to answer any questions you may have about Social Security. From time to time, I will also drop in to add my thoughts.
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