Bingo. My wife and I fall into this category and we manage, but frankly it’s a struggle most of the time. Kids ain’t cheap. Frankly, I don’t blame a family one tiny bit for adding that extra income.
We forget that, nowadays, a single income family is a luxury. Part of the reason that we are able to make it is because I make a fairly decent (though by no means exhorbitant!) salary. When I grew up, unless your father was a serious professional, or was lucky enough to have one of the few union jobs at the Ford plant or in the steel mills, both parents worked. (The 80’s may have been great for people in the cities and suburbs, but rural, blue collar areas like mine have always faced more challenges.) And this wasn’t women’s lib, “empowerment” work, either - it was more like working the swing shift behind the counter at the gas station, or a barely-above minimum wage shift at a struggling factory. By the time you paid for babysitting and gas, you may end up clearing an extra fifty bucks a week...but that was the difference between just barely making it on your own, or going on food stamps.
In other words, June Cleaver baking cookies as the kids got off the bus was a Hollywood convention for most of us.
I stayed home for a long time. My hubby has a good job.
We have a large family & as the kids have gotten older the bills have gotten bigger.
They’re all in school now - I may as well bring in what I can to save up for college & retirement.
Besides - I think we are about to engage in major house repair (sigh)
“In other words, June Cleaver baking cookies as the kids got off the bus was a Hollywood convention for most of us.”
Luckily for me it was an actuality. For most now, it isn’t. Need 2 income families in order to survive the Obama economy. Unless of course your “job” is popping out illegitimate kids so you can make a pretty good income off of welfare while not having to work.