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Explorer · 41-45, M
In a typical Indian households where joint family structure is a norm it is the grandparents who take care of the children when parents go to work. Children enjoy the company of their grandparents more than their parents as they are very free. Also one advantage of the joint family is that children can play and grow up together with their cousins. There may be merits and demerits though.
Not really answering any of your questions, but:
The days of being a parent to a small child are over for me and I'm not in the UK, so my view is strictly of child-care in the US.
I believe that childcare costs are one of the main reasons the birthrate has dropped so drastically in the US.
According to CARE.COM: "Child care has long been one of the largest expenses for families. In order to meet that expense, according to the Care.com 2024 Cost of Care Report, families are using both their savings and their household income." Their CEO further states: "Within the first five years of their child’s life, parents are being forced into a financial hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of,” says Brad Wilson, CEO of Care.com. “A healthy economy depends upon the ability for people to save and spend, but given the crushing weight of child care costs, those pillars are crumbling. The child care crisis should be a major red flag for everyone, not just parents. It is a systemic failure that will impact our nation’s economic growth, and that affects us all.”
[u]AVERAGE[/u] cost childcare in the US is $321.00 per week. Minimum wage in the state I reside in is $14.35/hr. So lets say you work a 40 hour week in a minimum wage job. That is $574 per week GROSS. Take out taxes, Medicare and Social Security to get your net pay, then subtract child care and it becomes apparent that you are working for next to nothing.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage of United States citizens as of December 2020 is $29.81, while the average weekly wage is $1034.41. Take out taxes, Medicare and Social Security to get your net pay, then subtract child care.
Anyway you look at it..... It is a big hit to your paycheck.
FWIW: I was lucky, my capacity to earn a very good salary allowed my spouse to stay home when my children were too young to attend school. Once they were in school my wife and I changed positions and she went to work full-time while I stayed home, took care of all the kids needs and simultaneously grew an internet-based business.
The days of being a parent to a small child are over for me and I'm not in the UK, so my view is strictly of child-care in the US.
I believe that childcare costs are one of the main reasons the birthrate has dropped so drastically in the US.
According to CARE.COM: "Child care has long been one of the largest expenses for families. In order to meet that expense, according to the Care.com 2024 Cost of Care Report, families are using both their savings and their household income." Their CEO further states: "Within the first five years of their child’s life, parents are being forced into a financial hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of,” says Brad Wilson, CEO of Care.com. “A healthy economy depends upon the ability for people to save and spend, but given the crushing weight of child care costs, those pillars are crumbling. The child care crisis should be a major red flag for everyone, not just parents. It is a systemic failure that will impact our nation’s economic growth, and that affects us all.”
[u]AVERAGE[/u] cost childcare in the US is $321.00 per week. Minimum wage in the state I reside in is $14.35/hr. So lets say you work a 40 hour week in a minimum wage job. That is $574 per week GROSS. Take out taxes, Medicare and Social Security to get your net pay, then subtract child care and it becomes apparent that you are working for next to nothing.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage of United States citizens as of December 2020 is $29.81, while the average weekly wage is $1034.41. Take out taxes, Medicare and Social Security to get your net pay, then subtract child care.
Anyway you look at it..... It is a big hit to your paycheck.
FWIW: I was lucky, my capacity to earn a very good salary allowed my spouse to stay home when my children were too young to attend school. Once they were in school my wife and I changed positions and she went to work full-time while I stayed home, took care of all the kids needs and simultaneously grew an internet-based business.
We both work full time.
My parents helped when she was a baby and I returned to work.
She started nursery at 3, full time.
There's breakfast and after school care at work and she doesnt charge me - long standing argument with her - so we donate resources when we can.
If we didn't have that, it would be an extra 400 on childcare.
It's got easier the older shes got.
I wish I could be home for her more.
My parents helped when she was a baby and I returned to work.
She started nursery at 3, full time.
There's breakfast and after school care at work and she doesnt charge me - long standing argument with her - so we donate resources when we can.
If we didn't have that, it would be an extra 400 on childcare.
It's got easier the older shes got.
I wish I could be home for her more.
Mellowgirl · 31-35, F
@V00doo it's sad how hard it is, this is an evitable stage in a lot of couples lives. Why they make it so hard I don't know. And people say get good jobs as it makes things easier but actually it doesn't. Money isn't everything what children need is time.
It really is a juggling act.
I'm sure she knows just how much you love her and she cherishes every moment x
It really is a juggling act.
I'm sure she knows just how much you love her and she cherishes every moment x