Please be honest - do you ever feel jealous of mothers who have more money?

[Anonymous]

Yes and no. More money is always good, but I already have some of the stuff money can and can't buy.
I work 20-25 hours a week and take ca 3 months off a year. We travel internationally and nationally. My kids don't go to private schools, but they go to good public schools and are happy there. my kids don't need private school. Older one insists his shoes with holes are good to go.
We have time and we have plenty of experiences. Warm home is important too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nah I'm pretty happy with what we have. HHI ~ 700k + reasonable work hours (50ish).

I wish we were more connected though. I worry about their chances of getting into "good" colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess you could say we are in an enviable situation...I have a high earning husband which allows me to work PT at a meaningful job that pays relatively well. We have a FT nanny, and never max out her hours, but keep her FT for sick days, school vacations, etc since both of us have somewhat irregular work hours. My husband is a very hands on dad, and we are fortunate enough to send our kids to private and have vacation homes in desireable locations.

My question is—would you be less likely to befriend people with “more money?” We like to spend time with family and friends, and definitely value experiences over possessions, but obviously these are not mutually exclusive. We have lots of good friends from when we were younger (eg. when no one had money!), but I’m finding it harder to make new friends as a relatively new parent of a preschooler.

Is it just harder to make good friends at this stage? Can having a lot of “stuff” be an obstacle to new friendships? FWIW, we may not be super outgoing, but overall are pretty laid back and friendly.

I thought preschool was the easiest time to make new friends. We met many of our closest friends then. Whole class parties where parents had to stay. Tons of kid outings you can invite others on and your kids beg for play dates.

It would probably be more difficult if your school is far from your home. Our kids attended preschool in our neighborhood. Everyone lived within a 3 mile radius..

Hmm. Yes, we do live a bit far from school and the city center. My friends/coworkers said no one really plays with neighborhood kids anymore, so I didn’t think that mattered so much, but I guess it does...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess you could say we are in an enviable situation...I have a high earning husband which allows me to work PT at a meaningful job that pays relatively well. We have a FT nanny, and never max out her hours, but keep her FT for sick days, school vacations, etc since both of us have somewhat irregular work hours. My husband is a very hands on dad, and we are fortunate enough to send our kids to private and have vacation homes in desireable locations.

My question is—would you be less likely to befriend people with “more money?” We like to spend time with family and friends, and definitely value experiences over possessions, but obviously these are not mutually exclusive. We have lots of good friends from when we were younger (eg. when no one had money!), but I’m finding it harder to make new friends as a relatively new parent of a preschooler.

Is it just harder to make good friends at this stage? Can having a lot of “stuff” be an obstacle to new friendships? FWIW, we may not be super outgoing, but overall are pretty laid back and friendly.

I thought preschool was the easiest time to make new friends. We met many of our closest friends then. Whole class parties where parents had to stay. Tons of kid outings you can invite others on and your kids beg for play dates.

It would probably be more difficult if your school is far from your home. Our kids attended preschool in our neighborhood. Everyone lived within a 3 mile radius..

Hmm. Yes, we do live a bit far from school and the city center. My friends/coworkers said no one really plays with neighborhood kids anymore, so I didn’t think that mattered so much, but I guess it does...

Sorry, your coworkers are wrong. We would go out to eat, bump into friends everywhere and do last min play dates, esp when weather was nice. Also nice when weather is bad.