Kids as an "excuse" to stay home

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-08-2003
Kids as an "excuse" to stay home
1429
Fri, 08-15-2008 - 2:16pm

No one would likely ever admit to this...but what percentage of women who stay at home, and have no plans to ever return to the work force, or to do more than work PT...stay home because of the kids, but also for the major fact that they simply don't want to work?


I don't love my job every second, and there's definitely jobs out there that I don't think I could get out of bed for every day. But the idea of never working again, and being completely dependent on my spouse...kind of blows my mind. I realize not everyone's of the same ilk, and one's not better than the other.


I do wonder how many of the women who go on and on about how great it is to be home with the kids, are primarily just relieved to not have to punch the clock every day in addition to being mom.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:06pm

Many, many people over the years have said that their standard of living requires more of an income than yours requires.

I don't even know how to address the questions, personally. I don't know how much income your standard of living requires, therefore how can I address the question?

I know how much income we have. I know what we do with our income. But I don't know about the "requires." If we didn't have as much income as we do, we would cut back. At this point in our lives, much of the cutting back we might do first would be barely discernable to us, but might make a huge difference to other people and different community organizations.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:10pm

Exactly, the sol we have chosen has very little to do with the material things that have been

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:17pm

Perhaps a better choice of words is in order?


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PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:24pm
Oh, was that what she meant? How in heaven's name is it a "slam" to classify somebody who has a job as somebody who has a job? I am terribly confused!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:24pm
Don't get me wrong, we have a very nice material SOL. I'm not for a minute suggesting we don't.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:27pm

It was my best guess.


PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:28pm

Yes, agreed and same for us.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2007
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:29pm

"pka's sol does require two incomes. "

How so? There is no SOL that requires two incomes- merely sufficient income. It could come from one or two or three or more.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 12:34pm
For something like the first decade of our marriage, DH and I "lived on" about 80% of his income alone. We saved and invested 20% of his income and all of mine. In the next five years, we lived on all of his income and half of mine and saved and invested the rest, including the income from our investments and savings. Only in the last three years of our marriage, with two kids in private school and almost all of our savings goals met, have we begun spending all we earn. But we still save/invest and give away far more than I earn in a year. I have no clue how to classify our SOL in terms of how many incomes it takes to sustain it anymore.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2006
Fri, 08-22-2008 - 1:04pm

<< it doesn't take more to make me happy.>>


I'm not seeing that, with all the talk of material goods and choosing to work, clearly it does take more.


i'm not sure what it is you aren't seeing.

 

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