My mom worked when most moms were at home. At that time it meant escalating your living standard quite a bit because everything was relative. That advantage was lost once so many families had two incomes, at which point the second income became almost necessary, again in a relative way. I went to nursury school when I was four and cried every day on the way to it. And it was a jungle...terrifying place with wild kids running around everywhere and regimented eating and naps.Children pick up the least common denominator regarding habits and behavior when around other kids.
Your story isn’t unusual. Parents even justify daycare, saying it will help their children socialize better. You can’t fix what happened to you, but you can choose to do better.
I’m not saying all women should stay home, btw, but I think it’s a shame that so many parents shirk the ultimate responsibility of taking care of their children.
Oh, I agree somewhat with your point about income. People want a lot of things, big TVs, new cars, huge houses, etc. In the past, single earner families had less toys (that’s really what most of it is. They aren’t needs. They’re wants). The typical family back then didn’t have a TV in every room, likely had only one car, and generally lived in much smaller houses. However, the cost of living does seem much higher now. There used to be plenty of jobs, for example, where a single earner could make enough to raise a family. Nowadays? Not so much.