At the finish line, it s a tie. An eight year study out of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst found there is no difference between children whose mothers were employed and those whose mothers were not employed during the first three years of the kids lives. The study included more than 6000 children of all races between the ages of three and twelve. Researchers monitored the kids five different times throughout the study testing for mental development, achievement, behavior problems and self esteem. Both dual and single career families struggle with finding time to spend with kids.
Moms say time pressures and disciplinary challenges are the most difficult part of mothering.
Mothers who work full-time are especially frazzled trying to balance being a mom with other aspects of their lives. Still, seventy-one percent of all moms surveyed say they don t have enough time for themselves and rank controlling outside influences such as television and peer pressure as one of their most difficult issues. Time management experts say organization can help overcome some of the stress of today s time tight families. Experts suggest laying out kids clothes in advance, cooking in large quantities on the weekend, and planning personal time after kids are in bed. When dealing with issues like discipline, peer pressure and other outside influences, open parent-child communication is key.