Affording to Stay at Home

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2007
Affording to Stay at Home
1968
Wed, 12-12-2007 - 12:20am

Ever notice that those moms that SAH are usually (although not always) more well off than mothers who WOH? It seems to me, based on what I have seen, that while most women enjoy working their jobs and having a professional life outside of the home, some women prefer to stay home with their kids for a certain amount of time - whether it be 1 year or 10 years - and those women have the option to do so, while other women wouldn't even consider the option because they feel they can't afford it.

Well, it has been my experience that most women who do stay at home have

1) husbands who support the idea

2) Husbands who probably earn enough (or almost enough) to support the family.

3) Enough money to support themselves without working.

**Now I am not talking about people who get help from government agencies, I am speaking about women who do it with no outside help - just seems like most women can't because of financial reasons. So, is being a SAH mom now an "upper class" phenomenon - in general? Of course there are many SAH moms that are middle class, but if they chose to have paying jobs, they'd probably move right back up into that higher income bracket.

Blythe

http://beaworkathomemom.blogspot.com/

Working on being...Supermom!

Blythe http://beaworkathomemom.blogspot.com/ Working on being...Supermom!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2007
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 7:53pm

Actually, that's more assertive and/or aggressive behaviors.

Avatar for 4thekids2001
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 8:42pm

"For us to try and live on dh's income would reduce our SES to near what mine was when I was growing up.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2005
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 8:51pm

Ever notice how hardly any parents ever PLAN their lives? It seems so *normal* to just have babies before marriage, have babies before financial stability, have babies before knowing if your marriage will work or not...

I am sure there are some ruffled feathers in this 515 posts thread. I just wanted to say that this whole idea of NOT planning and then complaining ruffles mine.

Before having children my husband and I had a home, a stable marriage and had sowed all our wild oats. I rarely hear that about others. I am a SAHM who also works part-time from home. In my original plan, it was my intentions to be home when my children came home from school. I have opted to homeschool and give up a good portion of my work (and money). Even the best laid plans don't always work out but at least we had a plan. I could make twice the salary my husband does if I worked outside the home but money is not my top priority. So because of that, we don't have the material things we could have. There are more important things though - its all about choice.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2007
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 8:59pm
There's no trade off here.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-08-2006
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 8:59pm

for me the difference has been huge. As a single parent, I made about 70K -- with 3 kids under my roof.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-08-2006
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 9:12pm

I usually agree with much of what you say and realize that arguing with the other poster can be like banging your head against a wall.


However, I thought this was over the line:


<>


Reek is an awfully strong word.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-08-2006
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 9:14pm

and Vice-versa -- what would happen to your kids if you lived HER lifestyle?


eileen

Avatar for 4thekids2001
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 9:15pm

We don't have a lower standard of living then if I worked. I wasn't saying anything about sending your kids to private school. If you lived in a cheaper neighborhood maybe you could take those fancy vacations your kids long for, oh wait is that a trade off?


Let's see my kids go to private school, we went to Disney this year, we have no credit card debt and I SAH, all this folks on less then 100,000 a year(way less). What would my working(in childcare) greatly add to my family? I have no trouble recognizing that both parents working

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-23-2007
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 10:02pm

<< For effect, they lumped assertive behaviors with aggressive behaviors.>>


Really?

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2007
Wed, 12-19-2007 - 10:32pm

you

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