A recent study by ChildCare Aware of America, a childcare research and advocacy group, appears to indicate that childcare is becoming at least as expensive as in-state college tuitions in most instances (The Christian Science Monitor, Childcare cost: Day care expense rivals college cost, fuels social problems, August 23, 2012). The study found that childcare payments equaled more than annual median rent payments in 22 states. In some of the more expensive states the payments are more than half the median incomes of single moms. The article made the argument that having a baby greatly increased the likelihood that the mother would transition into poverty. I have had several personal experiences with mothers in similar circumstances. in several cases these mothers realized that maintaining their job was costing them money when all the associated costs of working outside the home were factored in. In many cases, these parents had been so used to having a job outside the home that they felt they had to work, even when the practice was harming their families finances.
In my own personal situation my wife and I started our family while we were both working full-time jobs. I have been a law enforcement officer for my entire professional life, while my wife achieved her Master's Degree in Park and Recreational Management. My wife spent the first 7 years of our marriage working in county and state park systems as a park ranger and assistant park manager. We had our first child and determined we did not want anyone else raising our child. As a result, we split our days off and our shifts to ensure that our daughter was rarely with anyone other than one of us.
Due to circumstances outside of our control my wife found herself in an untenable situation at her last job with a state park system. Her misery with her circumstances began to affect her and our marriage. When I showed up one day to her job with a picnic basket and our beautiful infant daughter, I found her crying and in a state of significant distress. Realizing that things weren't going to get any better for her, I told her that day to walk away from her unhappy situation. Her immediate response was, "we can't afford it." I told her that whatever it took I would figure out a way to keep her home.
We made some sacrifices, keeping in mind that our ultimate goal was to create a situation where she could manage the house and raise our child while I earned the money we needed to survive. I will be honest and declare that it was initially very difficult (macaroni and cheese was on the menu). Our income was cut by approximately a third, but we were determined to make this work. I took on a steady off-duty job to supplement our bank account, and a year later I was promoted. Prior to the promotion and the additional pay, however, we had already managed to adapt to our situation. We sold one of our cars, let go of the lady cleaning our house and eliminated the babysitter we were using on occasion. In the end the impact of our income loss was mitigated to the point we wondered why we had not brought her home sooner. We eventually had our second child (my wonderful son and future guitar partner). This was my first experience with the idea that if you want something bad enough (you have a big enough "why"), the "how" will work itself out.
One of the unintended consequences of having a family was that my wife developed several health issues. As a result of both pregnancies, my wife developed preeclampsia and the H.E.L.P. Syndrome. These complications required that my wife to be induced early with each child. In addition, the pregnancies caused my wife to develop a thyroid condition that adversely affected several of the systems in her body and resulted in significant weight gain. My wife was a rough and tumble park ranger when I first met her. She would come home completely black, covered in soot from fighting a park fire. She had been on camping trips in Costa Rica where she did not take showers for weeks.
Those days were long past.
My wife was now very concerned with her appearance. She liked to have her hair and nails done; she liked to dress nice; and she would not go anywhere near a campground unless there were cabins with running water, a cosmetic mirror and a place to plug in a hair dryer. The weight gain she experienced, therefore, had a significantly negative impact on her self-image. She was working out 4-5 days a week and was working very hard at eating a healthy diet. Nothing seemed to work. I was careful not to mention her weight and honestly expressed to her that she was my standard of beauty. What I failed to understand, however, was that my wifes focus on her appearance transended vanity. Instead, my wifes concerns were that her appearance was a reflection of her health and that she was not setting the proper example for her family. It was from this desperate place that she found her salvation.
My wife's desperation created a "why" that needed to be answered and she found it through the parent of one of my daughters friends. During a conversation with this woman my wife stated that she was willing to try anything short of surgery or drugs to solve her problem. This friend explained that she was an associate with a residual income business that dealt with health and wellness. She went on to say that the program might be exactly what my wife was looking for. My wife was preparing for a trip back to Wisconsin for her high school reunion. This has always been an important event for my wife, and it served as further motivation to try the program (another "why").
This was an event significant to my wife, and ultimately significant to my entire family for many reasons. The program provided amazing results to my wife and she became an instant believer. Furthermore, she began to draw a crowd. Everyone who ever knew her when she was heavy wanted to know what she had done to achieve such amazing weight loss success! It didn't hurt that my wife was excited to tell people about the program, not yet realizing that she was already doing the job of a network marketer without getting paid for it... yet.
When my wife came to understand that simply telling someone about her success could be transitioned into a successful business we began our venture down the path to financial independence. She quickly achieved a salary in excess of what she would have been making had she remained with the park service. An even greater benefit was realized when it became apparent the money would continue to come in even when we were on vacation sitting on a beach (one of the many benefits of a residual income).
It took several months for me to try the program, but I eventually acquiesced and experienced similar results. I did not have as much weight to lose, but I achieved a level of fitness that I had not seen in years!
My wife and I now attend yearly events sponsored by our network marketing company. It never ceases to amaze me when I look around and see the thousands of people in attendance, cheering new products or new tools intended to make it easier to run our business. I love to listen to the stories of others on stage telling about the "why" that brought them to network marketing. Many of these stories express histories that started out more tragic and perilous than our own. Single mothers tell stories about sick children and bankruptcies. Husbands and wives talk of losing their only source of income to a bad economy and a concern for how they are going to feed their family or pay their bills. All of these stories end the same way. One or both of the spouses discovered network marketing and were able to achieve financial freedom for themselves and their future generations. They talk about not having to worry about college tuition or paying medical bills. They speak of amazing adventures and wonderful vacations all paid for through a residual income... sometimes earning enough residual income during the trip to pay for the trip. All of the speakers share one thing in common. They all discovered a big enough "why" to push them to realize their hopes and dreams.
What does this have to do with childcare and working mothers? How many mothers wish they didn't have to leave their kids off with complete strangers? How many wish they could be there for their child's first steps? How many wish they did not have to cut their salary in half to pay for childcare before they even make another dime to pay the rest of their bills? Residual income provides for all of these opportunities and potentially much, much more! Is that a big enough "why" to get you started? Is it at least enough to start you asking questions? Find a company you can be passionate about and use that passion to change your life.
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