When I had my first child, my husband had just left his job. “No problem!” he said. “I’ll be a stay-at-home dad! We’ll save on child care costs and I’ll bond with our son and it will be great.”
I went back to work when the baby was six weeks old. Three weeks later, my husband said he couldn’t take it anymore and we needed to find childcare immediately.
Taking care of a child is work. Look at the way you’ve phrased this question: One parent works One parent stays home I challenge you to stay home with your kids for a week and tell me that’s not work.
So, assuming you are the “working” parent, you think you work all day and pay the bills, so you shouldn’t have to contribute and “work” when you get home, because you’ve put in your 8 hours. Your “staying home” spouse works 24/7. No break. No blowing off steam and kicking back at the end of the day. No quiet lunch in the middle of the day. No running off with friends to relax after work.
Should the working parent help out around the home with the kids? Well, you both work. When does your spouse get to end their work day? If you think you earning the money is the answer, use that money to hire a maid and a babysitter so no one has to “work” when the work day is over.
