What I found fascinating here, is that I find the opposite to be true. I've found that fortysomething parents seem to be involved than the thirtysomething parents I know. More than anything I've seen more parents who've never been married (not divorced) in the younger set.
They are more inclined to find care outside of the home for their kids, not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that, but I've seen enough cases where I can generally tell which kids spent their early childhood in daycare, and which ones had some sort of family care provider.
Of course there is something wrong with that, you can say it. A parent at home is ideal, and nothing can change that. A parent is even preferable to aunts, uncles, or even grandparents. There is absolutely no substitute for parent/child contact. I've stayed home with my children for almost 13 years now. The youngest is 10, so in 8 years, I'll be able to retire from this job and seek employment that actually pays real money.
Yeah, I guess I usually say that in liberal circles. It becomes a habit to say, "Not that there's anything wrong with that" to avoid sounding like I am judging them.