Wait... I heard that staying at home and raising five boys was the same as never working a day in your life.
I've done both now. I'm a SAHM with a very-part-time job and a school age child. While he was a baby I worked full-time and we had wonderful day care that was inexpensive(relatively). I was working for student loan payments. When I was working full-time I was much more organized and there was no one at home during the day to make a mess. Now that I am home I don't need to be organized and I'm not. Lately, I've been hunting or practicing while the boy is at school and the dust rhinos are aiming to take over. Not everyone can make it work staying at home, not everyone wants to be home all the time and some people cannot afford it. You need to look and see what it actually costs for your wife to go to work.
Don't forget, "The kids will hear!" So I had to stop screaming......there are trade offs in everything :D
Well, she is constantly "bloated", she vomits every time she opens the fridge, and for some strange reason she is getting a bit larger in the mid section, but other than that...yeah.
While nothing being said here is surprising, you all aren't selling this whole kid idea very well for me.:D
Bahahahahahahahahahhahahhahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahhahahahaha!!!!!!! We have 5 kids, wife stayed home after #2. On the logical, balance sheet argument, add the cost of Dr visits for sick kids as kids in daycare will be sick about 2x-5x more often. As both of us were 'professionals', a reduction in dry cleaning, eating out for lunch, dinner, going off for weekend trips, movies and other sundry costs were eliminated from expenses. Add the cost of diapers, formula, baby food, some toys, baby clothes, baby furnishings (crib, stroller, etc). And from the financial argument, you'll never figure it out, but you make it work, you sacrifice, you make concessions, your priorities change and your life will never be the same. Most importantly, remember kids are like pancakes...the first one is a bit of an experiment, they don't always come out perfect, but you learn from the experience and do better with the second one.
"Was it worth it?" Absolutely. I think it will be the rare exception to find a couple that did and afterwards looked back in regret. Having said thay, everyone's situation is different and there is certainly not only one blueprint to raising good children and being an engaging and responsible parent. But here is the real *** kicker...Neither of you are really going to know how you feel about it, try as you may, until the baby is born.
