I'm sorry - I didn't mean to make any one mad about this one (though looking back at my first post I knew it would). I just wanted an opinion other than my own. My own mother went to work after 6 weeks when I was born, and did the same thing with both of my sibs. She's been working all this time and I pretty much raised my brother and sister. I make sure that my job allows me to be there for my kids when they aren't in school, but I missed out on a lot of firsts too.
It's really not what's better - I worded that incorrectly. It's more of what you would do. If this was a perfect world I would be raising my kids full time only going back to work once they were in school - I didn't get that chance and I will forever regret it.