We raised 3 girls. My wife has always worked and chose positions where she could be with them at the times they needed her. Then my job shifted where I could telecommute until i retired. My youngest moved out 3 years before I retired early, at 49. She and I had a great time during that time. During this time my wife took a promotion so she could finish up the last few years at her job as a manager. We tagged teamed it, and we raise 3 great girls. It’s called a team effort. Apparently, Obama doesn’t believe in the team effort. Remember, his wife is a full time executive who is on the road, and he is on the road.
That’s awesome and like I said, it depends on the parents, not the amount of time spent being around the kids. I see parents that spend most of their time barking at their kids and don’t seem to genuinely enjoy their kids. I have connected with my kids in a 30 minute drive to soccer, football, or cheer when something is said on the radio and I ask them “what do you think of that”? It doesn’t take a lot of money to have quality time, although I’m grateful we now have enough to do fun things with our kids.
When we didn’t have much money, it was things like going for a walk (which we still do to take our dog on hikes) or going to the park or lake. I love that my kids seem to love our company and want to be around us. They respect our authority because there has always been a consequence for bad behavior to include the occasional spanking. There are times I have to get away from them but I dread them growing up and leaving. They grow up fast!