re: thoughts on stay at home spouse?

I used to think stay at home moms were losers who simply lacked the mental fortitude to make their own way in life.

I have a bunch of kids now and had to convince the wife to give up her rising career stay at home. The screwed up part of that debate was that we both made the same amount of money so it was like I was being chauvinistic but at the end of the day she enjoys staying home with the kids more than I do.

The bad part is that we are house poor now and if I get fired we are in a tough position. We've had to make some sacrifices in terms of being able to afford luxuries. When she worked we were way more comfortable financially.

I also think there's nothing wrong with sending your kids to a reputable daycare. In many ways it works out better because they gain more social skills and are less emotionally dependent. In our case we have one kid who has health problems so we were taking off all the time. Daycare costs for 4 kids is no joke, either.