SAHP's - do they accept that they are actually gambling with their families finances ?

[Grrrr]

Article in today's Times 2 section by author Leslie Bennetts (female despite the spelling of Leslie).

It kind of dawned on me that deep down this is one of the reasons I feel the need to continue to work even our family doesn't need me to, financially, at the moment.

Its not that I think negatively all the time about what the future may hold but it was very weird to have my unexpressed, back of the mind, thoughts suddenly expressed in print by someone I've never heard of before.

Am I in a very small "weirdo" minority I wonder ?

link pls

Depends on whether you need the money per se
We intend on saving all my wages and investing them or paying off the mortgage extremely early when I eventually return. In 4-5 yrs - I intend to retrain in the meantime.

FWIW what I could earn now would never cover child care for dd 4, ds 9 days and ds 13 after school

If it came down to the good of the family or we were suffering I would though of course.
I know I am lucky though in that I have choices.

Help ! I'm an eeejit who can't do links but someone has started another thread on the subject.

Will repost my comment on the other thread.

Interesting article. I am trying to weigh up whether or not to return to work after maternity leave for DS2. We could afford for me not to work, which I realise puts me in the very lucky position of having a choice. It would be difficult for me to get as good a job as I have now if I have 3-4 years out and impossible if I had 10 years out. Also I am very lucky that my employer lets me work 3-4 days a week but I don't do the type of work that would ever be recruited for externally as part time.

I'm sure that if dh and and i ever split up i would regret that i hadn't continued with my career but it seems very pessimistic for that to play a large part in my decision whether or not to return to work.

it's all very good and well

however, it seems that every mother I know who works full-time also has a range of back-up options such as family nearby who are happy to cover the holidays and sick days etc.
It's just dh and me in the sticks here, not even a childminder in the vicinity, and I really can't see at the moment how I could work other than doing ad-hoc freelance stuff (which never feels like 'proper' work). Of course it'd be better for our long-term finances if I had a proper career, but then it would have been better too financially to just not have any children...

i'm with you grr, i've seen too many older women left vulnerable later inlife and it scares the hell out of me, tbh!

Not gambling but being more realistic than stretching our finances on a joint mortgage. That would leave us worse off. Now at the moment we are renting but our intention always has been to buy on one wage and once I return to work to use that other wage wisely rather than have everything swallowed up by bills. Kind of like what you mean Piffle only I say it less clearly!

As I said on the other thread I would rather invest my time in energy in being a SAHM now, learning to budget etc. so when the time comes we have more fun funds than if I was a WOHM spending everything on childcare. I am teaching my sons valuable life skills so they can be independent rather than rely on anyone and that will include teaching them later on about finances.