re: #476 Alouette

I raised 9 kids, and when my oldest was 12 (and before and while the youngest 3 were born) I went back to school to earn my degree and then went out to work full time.

The older kids, who were raised by me as a stay at home mom, and the younger ones, who went to day care while I worked, all turned out OK.

Zedushka had to take the little ones to day care since he started work later than I did, and so he had to deal with getting them out of bed and dressed and fed in the morning.

I think the kids raised in homes with working-outside-of-the-home parents can benefit greatly from that arrangement. It teaches responsibility and independence.

My mom worked outside most of my growing up years and I loved those couple of hours after school when I had the house to myself. I played the piano so I could practice and pound away on it all I wanted to without bothering anyone. I could also crank up the volume on the stereo. I learned to cook, too being the primary cook in the household during the weekdays. My mom grieved when I went off to college not cuz of seeing her baby fly the nest but losing her live-in chef!