How do a childs personality and a familys specific needs influence the choice of care?
Dr. Penelope Leach: It’s an interesting question. We need more research. Gender and a child’s personality do seem to make a difference, but we don’t fully understand how. Some studies say that a mother is more likely to stay at home with a son than a daughter and fathers are more likely to stay at home with sons. Some parents commented that they were able to go back to work because a child was easygoing and didn’t cry. We don’t really know if this is a factor, but it does suggest that this made the return to work easier. And parents of children with special needs have additional challenges because there are so few caregivers who are able to care for children with special needs. Highlights: You describe in your book how other countries handle childcare. What have you learned? Dr. Penelope Leach: Every country is doing some things well and others not so well. We need to look at how other countries are managing so we can learn from one another. When I tell U.S. moms about parental leave i
