Low Earning SAHP and Middle Class Households

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of SAHP at DCUM have high earning spouses and can manage to keep a high household income while only one parent works.

I want to hear from middle class or poor families where a parent has decided to stay home. What’s your reasoning?

For us, we calculated that daycare costs while are children are infants would be more than I’d being home. I’m in a very low wage field that’s very taxing, demanding and unpredictable so it made sense for me to stay home to cut the childcare costs. Of course without my income that puts a lot of pressure on my spouse who has just begun his career and his beginning salary is DCUM low but nationally mid-range. We definitely struggle and have had to make a lot of financial sacrifices. I’m still figuring out ways to supplement my income while staying at home (that’s not an MLM). I’m sure not tons of people here are in the same situation but I’d love to hear from you if you are

Go to a Mocha Moms meeting (even if you aren’t AA). Lots of lower MC families. Some homeschooling so mom isn’t necessarily supplementing income from WOH or a MLM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of SAHP at DCUM have high earning spouses and can manage to keep a high household income while only one parent works.

I want to hear from middle class or poor families where a parent has decided to stay home. What’s your reasoning?

For us, we calculated that daycare costs while are children are infants would be more than I’d being home. I’m in a very low wage field that’s very taxing, demanding and unpredictable so it made sense for me to stay home to cut the childcare costs. Of course without my income that puts a lot of pressure on my spouse who has just begun his career and his beginning salary is DCUM low but nationally mid-range. We definitely struggle and have had to make a lot of financial sacrifices. I’m still figuring out ways to supplement my income while staying at home (that’s not an MLM). I’m sure not tons of people here are in the same situation but I’d love to hear from you if you are

Go to a Mocha Moms meeting (even if you aren’t AA). Lots of lower MC families. Some homeschooling so mom isn’t necessarily supplementing income from WOH or a MLM.

Intrigued by this. I was super interested in Mocha Moms when DC was a baby and I was looking for a mom group— loved everything I read about them. But I’m white and did not want to intrude on a space that wasn’t for me. Are there white women in the group?

[Anonymous]

When I was growing up (NYC area), my dad made around 25k and my mom SAHMed until we were older and could go to school. Then she started working retail.

Their incomes slowly increased and by the time I went to college they were making close to 100k together.

We got a house, cars, vacations, classes for me and my sibling, etc, though not all at once.