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PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Do moms need to be home for the first three years with their kids? One author has ignited a controversy with her book "Being There."
We want our kids to create and explore, but therapist Erica Komisar says too many kids aren't getting what they need most; their mom.
"At a younger and younger age, I was seeing kids being diagnosed and medicated for issues like ADHD and early signs of aggression and behavioral problems, depression and anxiety among those," Komisar told FOX 29's Karen Hepp.
"What I was seeing in my practice, is that it was related to the absence of mothers on a daily basis in their children's lives," she explained.
She thinks moms need to literally, be there.
She says moms are unique. They soothe, buffer stress, and help kids regulate emotions.
In her book "Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in The First Three Years Matters," she says a short time of putting kids first can prevent a lifetime of distress.
"It's only after that three-year period children then internalize a feeling of safety and emotional security and build resilience to stress," she added.
Critics say sacrificing professional aspiration sets women back, or just isn't financially realistic.
Komisar says the choice isn't about working outside the home or not- it's priorities.
"You can do everything in life, you just can't do it all at the same time," Komisar says.
Erica appeared on Good Day Philadelphia Tuesday to further explain her thoughts. You can watch more in the video above.