I am not parent yet, but I always thought that after providing the basics needs for the kids (which noone argues require to have some money), the best one can do is spend time with them, teach them, guide them with advice etc. And not spending that time in the office trying to earn more to buy them designer clothes or an ipad…
Hey, don’t misunderestimate the value of an iPad, dude! 
(interesting that misunderestimate is actually in my computer’s dictionary)
Enjoy being a stay-at-home parent when you have kids.
Thank you, W!
Haha, I know I’ll get flamed here but I don’t do Apple (except for ipod - very grateful for it actually)
It’s just a personal choice though…
Apple sucks, all the cool kids have moved onto Galaxy
SAHP is another extreme… There is a middle ground between an MIA banker parent and SAH parent 
Where’s that middle ground though? Part-time greeter at WalMart, school teacher, Victoria’s Secret Angel (apparently too time consuming for one of them who quit recently), surgeon, CFO, PM, etc.? When you have kids, should they share a bedroom or have separate since a 3BR will set you back more than a 2BR? You have an iPod, should you make enough money for your kids to have their own iPod’s at somepoint or is that a luxury just for you? Nike or Keds for the little ones? Class valedictorian at a mediocre public HS probably isn’t going to get the little one into Princeton, so do you need to move to a top-notch school district (usually much more expensive homes), earn enough to pop for private HS, or decide that State U is fine?
Ok easy tiger:) Again I am not a parent yet and I admit I can only imagine how hard it is. And everyone wants the best for their kids…
All I am saying is that when I pick a man to have a child with, it won’t be a workaholic with 80+hour workweek… And we’ll make it work at whatever HHI we have. Again, it’s my personal decision - some women prefer mia banker husbands…
WRT to Princeton, just live somewhere cheap and send them the Lawrenceville for 50k a year…easy!
IMO, Princeton is overated. Everyone I know that went there is unemployed (because they’re related to former presidents or married rich).
I’ll give them mine to share:)
But seriously… Way to pick up on my words man… We aren’t talking about situations where having one ipod for a family is a luxury…
+1
There is an unhealthy obsession with Ivies in this country. Stemmed probably from an unhealthy obsession with status, prestige, position in the society etc…
Simple.
Do best for the kids, minimal for yourself.
Education comes first
Everything else is secondary
How dare you! I hope you got your tetanus shot, because here comes the hacksaw.
And this sounds like a commercial for Princeton. Everyone I know that went to Harvard is still having to work for a living. +1 for Princeton.
Although millions of people in this country, and billions in the world, would consider having one iPod a significant luxury, I’m not trying to pick on you and your iPod specifically. You said there is a middle ground, and I agree, but a lot of folks on here (perhaps not you) seem to feel they get to decide the middle ground for everyone. I actually don’t work all that much, make okay money, and am extremely happy with my situation in life. Who but me and my family is entitled to decide if I work too much or not? Certainly no one here. Who but me and my family is entitled to decide if losing a couple of hours per week of family time is worth it to be able to afford to live in the nicer school district, have an iPod for every member of the family, drive a luxury car, have a country club membership, etc? Certainly no one here, just as I’m not entitled to say that Mr. MIA Banker should be spending more time with his kids instead of pulling in the millions needed to fund the lifestyle his family probably really likes. I’m also not entitled to say that the greeter at WalMart should get a better job so his kids have more comfortable lives.
WRT Princeton, anyone whose kid is accepted to Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford (yes, I know that’s not Ivy), etc. and prefers that their kid attend Penn State, UT-Austin, Washington, etc. (all very fine schools) because those “top” schools are overrated is a first class idiot.
Penn State a very fine school?
“Who but me and my family is entitled to decide if losing a couple of hours per week of family time is worth it to be able to afford to live in the nicer school district, have an iPod for every member of the family, drive a luxury car, have a country club membership, etc? Certainly no one here”
Disagree. At least two people are qualified: 1) Black Swan, 2) Blake.
+1000
"Although millions of people in this country, and billions in the world, would consider having one iPod a significant luxury, I’m not trying to pick on you and your iPod specifically. "
Fair enough…
"You said there is a middle ground, and I agree, but a lot of folks on here (perhaps not you) seem to feel they get to decide the middle ground for everyone. "
Of course it’s up to you and your family to decide what works, no one is arguing that…
“I actually don’t work all that much, make okay money, and am extremely happy with my situation in life.”
Good, so you made it work for your family without scarifying too much family time!
" Who but me and my family is entitled to decide if I work too much or not? Certainly no one here. Who but me and my family is entitled to decide if losing a couple of hours per week of family time is worth it to be able to afford to live in the nicer school district, have an iPod for every member of the family, drive a luxury car, have a country club membership, etc? "
Again you are talking about a minor hours adjustment, but I was talking about situation when one of the parents is obsessed with making a lot of money that she/he practically don’t see their kids/wife… No material possessions are worth it!
“Certainly no one here, just as I’m not entitled to say that Mr. MIA Banker should be spending more time with his kids instead of pulling in the millions needed to fund the lifestyle his family probably really likes. I’m also not entitled to say that the greeter at WalMart should get a better job so his kids have more comfortable lives.”
No one is entitled to decide obviously… But if I was the MIA banker, I would question the motives of my family that likes the “nice lifestyle” to seeing a farther/mother at home more…
“WRT Princeton, anyone whose kid is accepted to Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford (yes, I know that’s not Ivy), etc. and prefers that their kid attend Penn State, UT-Austin, Washington, etc. (all very fine schools) because those “top” schools are overrated is a first class idiot.”
Ughh… Not overrated but utterly obsessed with. Not everyone get to go there, just like not everyone is above average. Doesn’t constitute that the child is not going to do well in life as a lot of parents seem to think…
Yeah, I’m not sure if people understood my comment was tougue in cheek. Anyway, for some reason Princeton is the only “fancy” school I know of where everyone I know that went there, save one, is now technically unemployed and independently wealthy. I also know somebody that got into Harvard with an academic scholarship with a 3.0 in high school. He was an amazing hockey player. Ivies don’t give athletic scholarships.
I’d love for my kid to go to Princeton if that is their best option given what they want to do. I’m not going to make it my purpose in life to send them there. But if I was, I’d send them to Lawrenceville and make sure they were excellent at some sport, however esoteric.