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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I mommy tracked myself and then worked part time. It seemed like a waste of time when DH earned so much so I stopped working.

I was the default parent and took all the snow and sick days and was responsible for drop off, pick up and all activities.

My pt job was neither challenging nor well paid. It felt like I was working for the sake of working. DH earns a seven figure income so we didn’t need my income.[/quote]

Do you worry about your ability to work again if you ever want to?  I'm in somewhat similar situation (though I do find my work interesting / challenging) but worry that I'd be basically signing up to never have a "real" career again and it seems to early to throw in the professional towel in that full retirement for ~30 years when my kids don't need me much / at all anymore is a lot of years to kill

I also struggle with the idea of giving up my ability to earn a real income if needed (say DH had a long term illness that took him out of workforce but didn't kick in life insurance policies or he had a mid life crisis and decided to get a young gf).  I guess if DH and I divorced our savings would ensure I wasn't screwed but I fear the loss of the ability to be financially independent.

Not judging your choices, just wondering how you think about these issues since they're ones I'm grappling with[/quote]

Not the pp, but I quit my job and a couple of years later, my doctor husband got addicted to opiates and was fired and charged with a felony by the small community hospital he worked for.  Rehab, lawyer fees, etc were expensive and wiped out a lot of our savings.  But I got another job.  Our part time sitter increased her hours to help with the kids, and his disability insurance kicked in.  Even in that situation, I don’t ever remember wishing that I had spent more time working when my kids were really little.  In fact, I was greatful that they had such a stable childhood, and I had had time to form some very close friendships when this major upheaval happened in our lives.  [/quote]

I'm so sorry you had to get through this, but I'm curious why you assume that those of us who work do not have children with a "stable childhood."[/quote]

I certainly didn’t mean to insult anyone.  My kids have a recovering addict for a father, and I think they have a lovely childhood.  So, I am not going to make generalizations about anyone else.  People in glass houses and all that.  
It just seems to me that if you have a family with two parents with big careers and no one taking a step back, it’s possible that the death of a parent or a parent walking out or a serious illness or any of the other thongs mentioned by the pp could be more difficult because those relationships with parents and kids, kids and extended family, parent and friends, parent and extended family, kids and friends of parents, etc etc aren’t as strong and well tended.  Finances are important, but they aren’t the only thing that matters in the event of a family tragedy.  There is more than one way to put money in the bank, so to speak.  
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