Over the past decades, the concept of family roles has expanded significantly, allowing family members to build greater flexibility and, as a result, increased economic resilience. Specifically, working mothers have become a norm, determining a significant shift in familial relationships and the hierarchal structure of an average family (Brown & Lajambe, 2019). However, the described change comes at a price since the relationships between mothers and children may show lower rates of togetherness and bonding. In this context, the familial task of promoting early childhood development based on emotional bonding plays a critical role in encouraging resilience and creating opportunities for a bond between a mother and a child.
A study conducted by Rani (2019) shows that the levels of emotional maturity are significantly higher in children with home-making mothers as opposed to those that choose to pursue career development. Although the described outcomes could be seen as the impetus for mothers to stay at home, thus reverting to the traditional family roles, the described outcomes also provide an impetus for exploring opportunities for improving the work-life balance in working mothers by using the resilience factor of flexibility based on communication. Thus, strategies for others to retain their professional development options while contributing to their children’s development can be explored.
The conflict between the need to provide for the family and evolve as a professional and the need to support one’s children and provide the emotional support that a child needs to form their mother is one of the crucial dilemmas of the modern-day. Rani (2019) emphasizes that children whose mothers prefer to spend more time with them as opposed to pursuing career opportunities receive a greater range of options for early childhood development, yet the described conclusion is quite self-explanatory. What makes Rani’s (2019) article special is the implicit question that it asks its readers, namely, how one can encourage family togetherness and emotional bonding without disrupting the professional development and destroying career opportunities that working mothers seek.
Therefore, the incorporation of a flexible approach toward work-life balance, as well as successful communication between family members, allows establishing understanding needed for the development of a child. Specifically, the reconsideration of family roles and the willingness of the spouse to accept some of the responsibilities typically associated with the role of a wife could be seen as a sensible compromise. Moreover, communication between a mother and a child combined with a flexible approach toward managing workplace routine, including the ability to focus solely on family-related issues at home, is expected to produce a positive effect on the psychosocial development of a child and the improvement of family relationships through quality time and bonding.
The article under analysis could be seen as slightly controversial due to the outcomes that it produces, yet the results of the analysis should not be regarded as the call for reverting to the traditional family roles. Instead, it needs to be seen as the impetus for altering the approach toward work-life balance for working mothers, thus encouraging better togetherness and using family time wisely to create strong bonds even given the lack of time. Thus, working mothers can improve emotional bonding with their children, while contributing to their development and even spurring it from their early childhood. Moreover, serving as the example of self-actualization and accomplishments in the professional field, working mothers can be seen as role models for their children.
References
Brown, F., & Lajambe, C. (2019). Pair bonding: Dating, marriage, and long-term relationships. In J. A. Plummer (Ed.), Families in the urban environment: Understanding resilience (pp. 265-300). Cognell
Rani, B. (2018). An emotional maturity of children of working mothers and home-making mothers. IJRAR, 6(1), 1150-1153.