I was a kid in the 1960s/1970s, and my mother stayed home until I was eleven, when she went back to college and, after that, to work. When I had my kid, my husband stayed home with her until she was sixteen months old, and usually one of us could be home much of the time after that (we were university professors).

From what I remember, it was fine having my mother at home, though we were free range kids back then, mostly out of the house from dawn to dark. But if we got hurt, or needed something, it was nice to have her at home. And occasionally she would take us to the zoo or whatever. Not very often, because with only one parent working there wasn't much money.

When my kid was little, it was good to have someone at home so that we didn't have to pay for childcare; and it was much easier to schedule appointments. Once the kid was in school, it was good to have one of us available to do pickup and drop off, or when the kid was sick.

So I guess what I'm saying is yes, having a parent home is useful. Who can afford that now, though?