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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://apple.news/Aufcdrb9tSU2X2_SBCbNyew

“ What It’s Really Like to Support a Big Family on a Modest Income in America
More Americans are choosing to put off having children—or not having them at all. The Ivys are an exception. ‘It is hard. But it’s not impossible.’”

Neither went to college, the DH is 34 and DW is 20 when they get married.  5 children. Not saving any money for college, they feel kids don’t need college since they did fine without it.

He managed to buy a house in 2002 in Cincinnati on his own, right before housing prices exploded but loaning standards were super loose (he was 20!). But more importantly because he has a UNION construction job that pays $30/hr.

Health insurance is of course Medicaid for the expensive  medical issues the family faces.

They are a family of 7 in a two bedroom. This is like a developing nation.

The WSJ holds this up as an example of how a modest income family can afford children. [/quote]

It’s an example as in an illustration. I didn’t read it as example as in something to strive for. [/quote]

Read the subtitle: [i]More Americans are choosing to put off having children—or not having them at all. The Ivys are an exception. ‘It is hard. But it’s not impossible[/i]

The title is chiding Americans for not having enough kids, and then again look at this working class family doing it, they make it work with effort — as other families view it as impossible because they won’t do the hard work.

Meanwhile, the Ivys have all these impossible advantages like buying a house 20 years ago, and government hand outs. [/quote]

I wonder if the intention behind profiling these people is to point out the differing entitlements that people operate under.
The profiled family is perhaps oblivious to their dependence on state sponsored entitlements.
Meanwhile, the upper economic tiers are not dependent but similarly make decisions based on presumed entitlements, like I must have a big house, a big career, or big something else and then I can have kids. So the latter group puts off having a family until they attain these things.

The WSJ family do not sound like planners.
Most DCUMers are planners. Maybe the skittishness about risk is what dooms the upper classes?[/quote]

+1 it takes specific planning to keep the upper middle class lifestyle rolling. The people at that level are not guaranteed wealth like a one percenter and correct decisions must be made to keep the money and pass the lifestyle onto their children. [/quote]

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