|
|
 |
 |
 |
03-08-2006, 01:31 PM
|
#1 of 19 
|
|
Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Local Time: 09:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 1,100
|
Wife quitting work and staying at home with baby
Please share your stories if your wife quit her job after having a baby. It's going to be interesting living on one income after living the past 7 years with two incomes and no kids!
We had our baby last fall and although my wife took a two-month break, she intended to return to her full-time job and have the baby go to daycare. The first month went well, actually, not as big as adjustment as she'd thought. But then January came and all hell broke loose in her office due to changes in Medicare law (she works for a health insurance company). Mandatory overtime, no excuses. She put in 80 hours overtime in January alone, weekends included. I was spending most of my time at home alone with the baby, trying to keep up with the household chores as best as I could. Not easy because this is the busiest time of the year for my job as well (I'm in accounting).
Long story short, my wife wasn't getting to spend much time with the baby and none of us were happy with the situation, so we agreed she should quit.
Now we have to be more careful with money. Survival won't be an issue, but my era of instant gratification is probably over. Then again, that may have been over as soon as we had the kid! But I am glad that my wife will get to stay at home and take care of the baby, and actually have time to make dinner and do the laundry too!
Anyone have similar experiences or advice?
"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
03-08-2006, 02:01 PM
|
#2 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Apr 1999
Local Time: 09:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 111
|
My wife didn't actually quit her job when my son was born she was actually laid off about a month before. That actually worked out pretty well because she could collect unemployment and take care of our newborn. Well fast forward two years and she hasn't gone back to work. We had to make some life adjustments due to only one paycheck but I think all in all its turned out pretty well. I never have been big on daycare(don't feel like kids get enough attention, not to mention all the germs floating around). My wife did join a moms group off of the internet where other stay at home moms get together and let the kids play with each other so they can have interaction with people besides mom and dad.
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 02:25 PM
|
#3 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Local Time: 09:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 1,100
|
My wife would be interested in that website, Quincy, do you have a link? That was one of her fears, that the baby would lose interaction with other kids and she would lose interaction with other adults.
"I'LL SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!!!" - Barton Fink
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 02:26 PM
|
#4 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Local Time: 05:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 7,111
|
Bob, As a father of three (ages 11,8 & 3). My wife took a few months off at first. At the time she was working part-time as a teacher. She worked 3 days a week from 9-2. Luckily, my Mom was able to watch the kids until they were old enough for preschool.
Quote:
|
but my era of instant gratification is probably over.
|
Thats a given.
Quote:
|
But I am glad that my wife will get to stay at home and take care of the baby, and actually have time to make dinner and do the laundry too!
|
I want to see you tell her the part about the dinner & laundry. 
And a bit of advice. Don't rush them to grow up (ie-walking,talking). Because before you know it they will be and you will wonder where the years went...Besides, once they start talking this is what your car ride will sound like...
http://www.phattie.net/dawg_wavs/sim...wethereyet.wav
Good luck
Bring back John Doe! Or at least resolve the cliff-hanger with a 2hr movie or as an extra on a dvd release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 02:46 PM
|
#5 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Jul 1997
Local Time: 04:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 20,941
|
My wife made a similar decision when our first son was born. In the end, the math didn't work out for her to work.
The cost of having her work was this:
$200-$300/week in daycare
Cost of gas (about $40/week at the time)
Cost of her lunches, as she would be far more likely to grab a "fast food" lunch at least once a week or to go out with other workers.
etc.
In the end, we figured that the additional income would "help" on paper, but as far as it really went, she would be earning 1/2 of what she would have ever accepted with all factors figured in. So, she stayed home. Now that the kids are both getting older, her going back to work becomes much more of an option, they are both in school full time next year, and so then it starts to make a lot of sense.
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 02:46 PM
|
#6 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Local Time: 04:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 788
|
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 04:40 PM
|
#7 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Local Time: 03:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 3,727
|
DOUBLE POST
"Did you know that more people are murdered at 92 degrees Fahrenheit than any other temperature? I read an article once. Lower temperatures, people are easy-going, over 92 and it's too hot to move, but just 92, people get irritable."
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 04:41 PM
|
#8 of 19
|
|
Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Local Time: 03:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 3,727
|
Quote:
|
But I am glad that my wife will get to stay at home and take care of the baby, and actually have time to make dinner and do the laundry too!
|
The ACLU will hear about this!
"Did you know that more people are murdered at 92 degrees Fahrenheit than any other temperature? I read an article once. Lower temperatures, people are easy-going, over 92 and it's too hot to move, but just 92, people get irritable."
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 08:19 PM
|
#9 of 19
|
|
Member
Location: Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexíco
Join Date: May 2002
Local Time: 04:53 AM
Local Date: 10-11-2008
Posts: 11,411
|
My wife quit did not work for over three years after our son was born. And then worked only part time for another couple of years.
We have both always thought that was the best decision we ever made. True enough, we no longer took vacations to foreign climes and overall operated on a vastly different budget. But all these years later that money seems not at all important.
Good luck.
¡Time is not my master!
|
|
|
|
|
03-08-2006, 08:58 PM
|
#10 of 19
|
| |
