Why is daycare considered the norm? If you're of Gen X age, you probably don't recall many kids growing up who were in daycare.
...
I mean, geez, isn't this what MMM is all about?
Because 70% of mothers of young children work? The statistics in the 60's and 70's for Gen Xers was much lower than that. 56% in 1969.
In the Gen X years, people married younger and had children younger.
They were less likely to go to college.
They did not have student loans to pay off (see above).
They were unlikely to make enough money to pay for child care.
These days getting married later and having children later means that parents actually have, um, careers before they have kids (not always, but sometimes).
Like it or not, 2 parents working at any normal type of job (barring shift work, which I'd say still requires day care) requires daycare.
Isn't that obvious?
Now, if you argument is that MMM didn't have kids until he retired - well that's true.
If your argument is that everyone should do it that way, well...eh? I'm not necessarily going to agree with that.
There are parents who are single (whether by choice or not)
There are new converts to MMM who simply cannot afford to quit.
There are families with 2 parents working because:
- they are saving
- they are hedging against future down turns
- they need the health insurance
- they like to work
Yes, you can raise a kid for less than that amount if you don't work and thus don't need daycare, but I would rather work. Because I love my boys but I do not want to spend 24/7 with them.