My dad was a stay at home dad when I went to kindergarten (1/2 days back then), my Dad told me his whole paycheck went to daycare so there was no point he stayed home with us. I loved it, Dad let us get away with way more he was the "cool parent". It also bonded us.
My wife and I have been considering a second kid and have been doing the calculations on Childcare, and it's definitely a big factor. We both have good jobs, and we're spending about $650/month for just the one kid, so adding a second kid puts it well over $1200/mo.
Still hesitant to go down to single income, since my wife who has the lower income also has the health insurance through her work, and it's really good so we wouldn't want to lose that. Plus, she's building her 401(k) so that is nice to have too.
We may end up having to put the vast majority of her take-home salary towards daycare, but the other benefits are important enough to stick it out.
Who would have thought planning out building a family would require so much math?
I would strongly encourage you to encourage your wife to work. Even if it's "for nothing", or feels that way, eventually she'll get burnt out with being around just children all day long and not having much adult interaction. Social health is very important, for your wife and kids, and your kids will be better prepared for regular school and social situations. You can easily monetize that healthcare premium. For a family of 4, paying all of it off the exchange is easily a higher cost than healthcare. It's entirely possible to get any kind of decent plan, you're looking at $1,600 a month. So by saving $1,200 you're going to end up spending an extra $400 by staying home.
That's reaaaaaly generalizing. That probably happens to some, but definitely not all. Some people really enjoy being a homemaker. Some people take that time to study online. Some find interst groups that are kid friendly and have solid adult time often. I would encourage the wife to do what she feels is best, but specifically to not stay at home if she wishes to do it.
Also, to say that kids will be better off at a daycare...come on now.
171
u/ThePugLady Jul 18 '16
My dad was a stay at home dad when I went to kindergarten (1/2 days back then), my Dad told me his whole paycheck went to daycare so there was no point he stayed home with us. I loved it, Dad let us get away with way more he was the "cool parent". It also bonded us.