Dr. Laura:
I'm a stay-at-home mama of three boys. We recently filed our taxes and after we left the accountant's office, my husband said, "I don't know how we fed five people and managed to save a little money." He makes around fifty thousand dollars a year.
I reminded him of a conversation we had many years ago when I was going stir crazy at home and wanted to get a job. He told me that I already had a job, and it was the most important job in the world. "Take care of our babies, and save us as much money as you can," is what he said to me. So that's what we do! We live in a modest, yet loving home. The bills are always paid, and there's always a home-cooked meal on the table. I'm a heck of a bargain and coupon shopper, and I stick to a budget. I can feed all of us for around $500 per month, and there are usually friends of our sons here for dinner several nights a week. My husband also works at a job where he's home for a few hours after the kids leave for school, so we get a lot of alone time together. He's up for dinner and helps with homework before he leaves for work each evening.
When I hear mothers calling your show and whining about not wanting to quit work because they want to keep up with the Joneses, I groan. We don't care about "the Joneses" around here. My kids have many classmates who are latchkey kids, and my kids say it must be sad to come home to an empty house. Our life isn't perfect, and we're not Ward and June Cleaver, but we make it work. MY advice to all those working moms out there? FIND A WAY! It CAN be done!
Big love and hugs,
Susie
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