I wonder how many babies think their mom is a great mom when they are stuck in daycare 45 hrs every week? Lately Dave sound more and more like a humanist when handing out advice.
I am in agreement with you that the preference would be to have a stay at home mom. I would even go so far as to declare my preference to home school.
However, a family must also consider their financial mess when having this discussion. His answer is very vague, but it is essentially making the point that families need to think about the big picture for these decisions.
If a family has made a financial mess, then they have a very weak household, therefore they should work to strengthen their position. If that means that both spouses need to work for a short period, then that may be necessary. I would actually lean toward one spouse taking on multiple jobs to pay down debt, but it would depend on both of their abilities to bring in the most bacon.
Keep in mind that the general person asking him for his advice on these matters has spent years creating a financial mess. It is reasonable for those folks to consider a temporarily difficult, and not preferred, plan of action. Then they can get to the preferred scenario from a position of strength. In the end, working from a position of strength will ensure that their preferred approach will remain stable.