Dr. Laura:

For those who say they "can't afford" to stay home and raise their kids, I want to share my story.  We arrived in the USA as immigrants in 1984, with three kids, $4000 in the bank and a dream.  Ultimately, we had seven kids, and my husband worked sometimes six days a week so I could stay home with them.  I volunteered at their school for 20 years and I'm now free to be a grandmother and help them with THEIR kids, because my husband made sacrifices to allow me to stay home and raise them.

We shopped at thrift stores, got hand-me-downs from anyone who gave them, and managed to have several very frugal religious Jewish weddings, bat and bar mitzvahs.  We had only one car, and if I wanted to use it, I had to take my husband to work and pick him up at the end of the day.  We never had anything extra, and we pinched every penny, but in the end it was worth it.

A number of years ago, my husband got a great job with benefits he never had before, and he paid off our debts and our mortgage.  A year ago, he bought us a second house, which we rent out.  We came here with nothing, but after forty years of marriage, setting priorities that put family first, and never spending anything more than we could afford, we now are comfortable.  I am so proud of my husband, I could burst!  Our kids have thanked us, and most are stay-at-home parents (or they married one), and we couldn't be happier.  I wanted to make sure your listeners knew that there is always a choice to stay at home.  It's not easy, and you may sometimes wonder if you're doing the right thing, but in the end, it's the only way to go.

Susan