Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:15:27, you think $39,523 is a lot of money to take care of children 8-10 hrs/day? Do not have kids if you cannot afford to care for them.
+1000
I'm 15:27. Did you see where I said that I don't at all mean that nannies aren't worth the money? Clearly I said that no matter the value of a nanny or the dollar amount she commands, there are going to be points where the vast majority of people can't afford a nanny and thus, switch to a cheaper form of child care, of which there are many.
Are you saying that if you can't afford to spend $50,000 + in cash every year on child care, then you shouldn't have kids?
I disagree with her premise that if you can't afford to spend oodles of money on child care that you shouldn't have children, however I do agree that there is something to be said about the opposite view of your argument. Paying $39,523 for child care is a lot. Earning $39,523 a year, caring for the needs of a child, children, and even those of an entire family, working 8-10 hour days, in a job that requires you to give your heart and soul while you often receive little respect and appreciation from society and even your employers, is nothing. We are not getting rich caring for your children. I understand that there is a limit to what families can afford, but try to see it from the other side. It really is not that much. If you can't afford it, you should put your children in daycare, and at least those daycare workers will now make a little more than the shameful wages they are currently paid.
I very much appreciate your politeness - a rare find on this forum

I want to say again though that my comment about the cost of a nanny had zero to do with a nanny's worth or value. It seems that posters are reading a sentiment that isn't there in what I posted. A good nanny may have a value of hundreds of thousands a year. But there is a simple fact that for the vast majority of parents, they are not going to physically be able to pay over a certain amount no matter how much they value their nanny.
In the DC area, there are a lot of people making a lot of money. Those people will be able to pay more. There are a ton of people who are federal employees most of whom make $100k or less. Quite obviously, even two parents making $100k are not going to be able to spend much more than a quarter of their income (and that's pre-tax, it's more like a third after tax!) in cash every year for child care. They're just not.
So I guess what I'm saying is that as nannies command higher rates, there will be less and less demand for the simple fact that people can't afford one. That's truly all I'm saying.