Wow! I find it extremely fascinating how a wonderfully simple poll could be turned into a very interesting topic of conversation. And I'm not being sarcastic- to read the varied viewpoints of those with children and those without are amazing.
There will always be sacrifices when choosing to have children and of course when choosing not to. As a Mom to four little ones ages 4 to almost 10, my DH and I have made the choice for me to stay at home with them and sacrifice a paycheck for the opportunity to raise our children. I am incredibly happy with our choice and am grateful that we have worked so hard on our budget to do so. Of course we don't have a lot of "extras", but that was our choice- and I am ok with that. The fact of the matter is: I'm a Mom- of course it is a thankless job, and the monetary pay sucks, but the rewards are absolutely, well...rewarding.
I've thought some about Bigsweetie's idea of being paid for choosing to be a SAHM and raising our children and obviously the idea fascinates me. Of course her ideas were hypothetical, as nothing like this would ever become reality, but ponder this:
Parents who choose to work and put their children into daycares are given childcare tax credits. Why are working parents rewarded monetarily for placing their children into daycares and parents who have chosen to stay at home and sacrifice a paycheck aren't rewarded monetarily for the caring of their children?
(Stirring up the conversation pot a bit
)
An interesting topic for sure.