Good time for you to consider a Roth conversion if you have IRA or 401k.

I may have said the same thing before I had kids and didn't know better. About the same as listening to the single guys talking at work and saying to them I'm sure glad I'm not single They couldn't understand why thinking playing the field and variety is fulfilling. Now there is absolutely nothing better than being a dad to my kids and husband to their mother.

Happy for you LG!

These responses belong on a different thread.

IT has worked for us. When we had our first child the wife had the higher paying career and wanted the executive path. We decided that as we could make it on one income that one parent being home was preferable to us to support the family more than just greater wealth. So she worked hard at making the money and I worked at making the money into more. Sweat equity in rebuilding first home, doing most everything I could learn to do so as not have to pay for it, shop to save on every purchase, invest our expendable income, live within our means, OH and raise our kid. We are just finishing our third home on our hobby acreage and retiring with zero financial debt, including vehicles. Kid is grown thru college and gone(but not far). And hoping good health continues to favor us yet. It a lot of hard work which ever role you choose as a Parent but if you work together and God willing you can do either role as well as you choose. I wouldn't expect to just sit sit around in a pink feather robe and slippers eating bon bons all day though that only works in Hollywood,lol. I am in no way am denegrating two working parents if that is what is required or chosen it was not what we wanted as we felt that an attending parent was a plus for the child if possible and that sometime was very difficult financially at first.

Good luck to you and as Frankie sings it "Do it my way"

Every year about a month before deer season I make this proposition to my wife. Still no luck, but I’ll keep trying.

Sounds like you'll both be doing something you like. Good luck!

I retired when I was 44 and the kids were 13 and nine . Best decision we ever made was me hanging it up.

The hardest job you will ever have and the most rewarding do it right, why have kids if your going to farm them out to someone and their idea and raising, its the best and hardest part of being a parent. Best to you

My wife will (hopefully) eventually be the one staying home as we are traditional, but she has always had a better job potential than me. On paper she had a higher hourly, AMAZING benefits, picks her own hours so long as the work got done and now she may be working at home soon (we live an hour from town). The only thing that put my career "above" hers was my side work. I could go and make a weeks wages in a day when we needed money.

After gas soared (remember an hour from town,plus all the driving between jobsites and getting material etc, in an old 5.7 hemi) and food prices skyrocketed, building materials went through the roof etc we realized we would slowly decline into debt.

We were newlyweds a year in, just about to have our first child, then we had another a year later. I took a long shot and not being paperwork saavy started working for myself. what a mess. paperwork, receipts, changing diapers, sleepless nights (mostly my wifes) random meals, repairing our fixer upper house while trying to land jobs and pay bills.

A mess, but a great Idea. With all the downtime getting rolling and over the dead spell of winter for a carpenter (great time for scouting for fur and ice fishing!) I got to spend SO much time with my wife and children in the first year (we are going into my second year in business and she is back to work, but hopefully not crazy long. couple years max so we can slam renovations and so forth and build the bank accounts so we can get set up for success.

Long story short, I realized with all the free time that societal norms are insane. working 40+ hours a week and missing all that time in the woods and waters and with family? forget it. iff you can stay at home and spend time with the kids and it works for you two, DO IT !

Best of Luck

Carpenter

Have fun loosegoose! I always called that my dream job but it hasn’t worked out such. But I have chosen to stick with a job close to home and kids school etc versus driving an hour each day for a bit more pay. To this point it seems like the right choice to me and I wish you and your family the best in every which way! Happy trapping! ScottW

Nice action Loosegoose!! How old are your kids nowadays?

They're all close in age-13, 12, 10, 9, and 8.

Jobs hard on the body are something that will side line you at early age and will regret. What traid you into. Main thing is to retool your self while watching the kids. Even if means night school but eventually will want to make good hourly pay .

In Missouri's work force we have real go getters. They sit in the coffee shop or local taverns every day then at 3pm go get there wives from work.

How many boys and how many girls?

wow busy times. Kids always need shuttle from sports and school activities.

Good to have someone stay home to handle it all