Caregiver and Provider – That’s Who We Are
March 29, 2010 by Laurie
Filed under Mom\'s Talk, This and That
Moms: Caregiver and Provider
As moms, we wear many hats. We are the keepers of the hearth and home, each day is filled with a variety of activities that involve taking care of others. Basically, everything that a mom does can be divided into two categories: caregiver or provider.
It’s no secret, mothers are nurturers by default. They care for and protect what is theirs with our very lives. This is true both in the animal and the human domains.
As a Provider
Moms in the U.S. spend over 3.7 trillion dollars a year on consumer goods according to BSM Media. This includes shopping for kids, husbands or significant others, older parents, adult children and themselves.
Why is this?
Moms have the savvy and the presence of mind to take the time and think through a purchasing decision before actually making the purchase. Buying power like that comes with great responsibility and moms are just the ones to handle it.
According to Whirlpool (1995), 88 percent of women are responsible for caring for their families. These moms are married and single. For single parents, the responsibility increases because they are the sole provider. Every decision from health insurance to home loans to buying groceries falls on them.
As a result of being the provider (sole or in partnership), moms are taking the bull by the horns, so to speak. They are actively seeking out information on various topics so they can make an intelligent decision and use their buying power effectively.
As the Caregiver
According to statistics published in June 2001 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, many families will spend over $165,000 on a child from birth to eighteen years of age. Just imagine if you have several children? When your income ranges from the mid-thirties to the mid-sixties (thousands of dollars), that is a significant amount of your income. And that is simply the average family.
As a caregiver, moms are responsible for everything from vaccinations to which summer camps the kids will attend. Their choices shape the next generation. Making the best decisions possible involves stepping up and finding out the best way to give our families what they need.
Older moms are also challenged to consider the best way to care for the parents who once cared for them. As people live longer, there are a greater number of middle age parents who are trading the care of their now grown children for that of their aging parents. They are left with making the decisions about insurance, living accommodations and managing health concerns which is not easy by any standard.
The extraordinary buying power of moms results from their roles as caregiver and provider for the ones we love. We are stepping up to meet our responsibility with intelligence and strength.
