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Parenting

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Husband and I fight over who would be stay at home parent

52 replies

Islandideals · 21/05/2015 21:36

My husband and I fight over who should be the stay at home parent when we have children. I really want to stay home and apparently so does he. He earns double what I earn (we are both teachers, but he is in a leadership position and I just trained this year so am at the bottom of the scale). Also I don't know how breastfeeding would work if I work and he stays at home. Everything would be in favour of me staying home and I really would like to be there for at least the first three years.

I have this feeling that he thinks being a stay at home parent is like an early retirement and an 'easy' life, when I know the reality is it will be really hard work. I feel like if I am the one who stays home he will be resentful and think I am on a permanent holiday while he is 'slaving' away at work.

Has anyone else had any disagreements with their partner over who would get to stay home? Is whoever makes more money the only factor?

OP posts:
TheMidnightHour · 29/05/2015 14:34

I think it's great you're talking about it, and it's good to have a theoretical plan. IMO if you both want something, it makes sense to (plan to) share equally.

DP and I had about a million conversations about this. Now it's actually coming due (Sep!) we are planning to both be 'off' (sabbatical/mat leave) for the first 3 months, then share the parental leave out (you can flip-flop a bunch of times, so could as teachers you could alternate by term, if your employer is feeling tolerant). After that, we'll see: we are an industry where short term contracts abound so we make keep alternating in 3-6 month chunks or we may both go permie-but-part-time or some other combination. Or have a second and start the loop again, or be sick of it, park Bean in an 8-to-6 nursery and take high-powered jobs in London... The options really are endless if you're willing to jack in the idea of following the standard career path of get job do job 9-5 for 30 years retire.

Personally I don't think who makes the most should be a factor at all, in an ideal world. In the real world, it still shouldn't be the only factor, and focusing on it risks compounding the problem. In this case, would your OH be earning as much as he is now if he'd taken 3 years out at your stage? I really doubt it. Being better established can often let you get a better leave package (as you have the seniority to negotiate) and make it easier to return as your skills are more in demand.

It's worth thinking about the impact on your careers - both of not going back for 3 years, and of going part time / contracting as this often means stepping down to get a flexible position. DP looked startled when I asked what he'd give up to be the SAHP (living standards and career both take a hit) - it genuinely hadn't occurred to him that would be an issue as 'having it all' is the default for men, not the super-human ideal.

Another (theoretical) spanner in the works is DC#2, #3 etc - if you go the classic SAHM route and want to stay out of the workforce until your youngest is 3, this could easily be 5+ years, and 10+ isn't uncommon if you have 3. That's a long time to rely on one person doing a particular job, and risks tying your family to crappy circumstances (a job that goes sour, a house you can't afford to leave, etc).

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 29/05/2015 15:34

DH wanted to be the SAHP too. And to be fair to him he'd be a better SAHP than I would. We both work FT. The light gradually dawned on him that it's rather relentless looking after small non verbal children all day and having little adult interaction. Now that they are a toddler and a 5yo he'd still become a SAHP in a heartbeat if we could afford it. We've taken on more financial commitments in the meantime with a bigger house so it's no longer an option unless we relocate.

No point in arguing over it until it becomes a real point of decision making.
Don't assume you will want to be a SAHP when the time comes. For all of the reasons above
Spend some time on the Relationships board and learn the reality of being entirely financially dependent on your spouse.
There are a hundred variables - you both might have triplets, you both might have a child with SEN, one of you might also have to take on a carer role for a parent. One of you might have ill health which makes going out to work very difficult.

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