By Melissa S. Monroe (Black Enterprise)
For Simone Morgan, giving up an $80,000 salary to stay at home to raise twin girls was an easy decision. Now working again, after four years at home with her daughters, the 35-year-old mother and wife says she doesn’t regret her choice.
“I didn’t think anyone could do the job I needed to do whether it was the first three years or first seven years,†says Morgan who lives in Spring Hill, Florida. “You can never get that time back. It was very difficult with twins. It was harder than work.â€Â
But forgoing her salary wasn’t that hard, says Morgan whose husband has a managerial job with a six-figure salary. The family didn’t have to move to a smaller house or give up a vehicleâ€â€something that many middle-income couples have to do in order to live on one salary.
Leaving behind two salaries to raise a family is something an increasing number of families are considering. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of mothers in the work force with infant children (below age 1) dropped from 59% to 55% from 1998 to 2002. This is the only recorded decline since the Census Bureau began calculating the statistic in 1976. (more…)
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This is something that my wife and I are in the middle of considering right now. It is a little scary thinking about it, but I think that we are better prepared for it at this stage in our lives as our entrepreneur endeavors are starting to pay off. The good thing is that our kids get to see more of mommy and daddy together. Trust me, it has not been an easy ride (and still isn’t), but family is very important to us so as always, we have to make some adjustments.
