Being a SAHM/D with "help" from the government?

[ducklite]

I think you are trying to make the point that the Property Tax bill for a school is generally less than the annual cost of educating children? I guess, but OTOH I will be paying property taxes on my house for far more many years than I will ever have children in the school district. Even during the years we've lived here, some years all my kids have been in the Public School and some years none of my children have been in the Public School.

By the same standards, I also drive on Public Roads, Use the Library, Participate in Park District events, and my son took a ride in the Fire Department Ambulance to go to the hospital. Those are all taxpayer supported and people use them at different levels.

I think most would agree their is a difference between Public Services available to the general public and Government Assitance.

I agree with you. All children have the opportunity to get a free ducation, just like we did as children. We all use roads, hospitals, public utilities, have access to the park and library. We are all protected by the police, fire department, and EMS.

Government assistance only benefits a small segment of society, whereas the overall role of government to provide and maintain essential services to the general public benefits everyone.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Because carrying extra insurance is affordable, right? Because I would not recommend anyone operating a daycare, home or otherwise, without completely covering their rear. Just as a photographer, in order to work at many wedding reception venues, I have to carry $1mil-$2mil in liability. And that's just to take pictures, not care for other people's infants and toddlers. And I, as a mother, would never ever in million years use a daycare where other family members could just fill in.

A little off topic, but that is something to consider.

My DD hurt her arm while at an in home day care (it was a dislocated elbow) and we had to take her to the hospital. It was a small licensed inhome day care. I have very good health insurance coverage, and I was very surprised when my insurance contacted me and said they were suing the day care provider for the ER bill since it happened there. If it happened any where else they never would have done that. Shortly after she shut down her in home day care. I don't know if it was connected, I suspect it was. If I had any idea the insurance would do that I never would mentioned it happened at day care. Just while she was at a friends house and I was not there. I felt really bad about it. I never would have sued her, it was out of my hands.

Anyway my point is, it isn't as easy as just watching someone else's kids while they work.

 

[Nikel]

A little off topic, but that is something to consider.

My DD hurt her arm while at an in home day care (it was a dislocated elbow) and we had to take her to the hospital. It was a small licensed inhome day care. I have very good health insurance coverage, and I was very surprised when my insurance contacted me and said they were suing the day care provider for the ER bill since it happened there. If it happened any where else they never would have done that. Shortly after she shut down her in home day care. I don't know if it was connected, I suspect it was. If I had any idea the insurance would do that I never would mentioned it happened at day care. Just while she was at a friends house and I was not there. I felt really bad about it. I never would have sued her, it was out of my hands.

Anyway my point is, it isn't as easy as just watching someone else's kids while they work.

Yup, that was exactly my point. And I know I'm paying around $800 per year for my insurance as a photographer. My stepdad, with similar coverage ($2 mil in liability) as an owner/operator truck driver was paying $500 a month for his liability insurance. The cost of insuring oneself to open a home daycare would likely be cost prohibitive for someone already struggling with finances. And not having insurance could cause the to lose everything and be paying for the rest of their lives. Completely not worth it, IMO.

 

[barkley]

A little off topic, but that is something to consider.

My DD hurt her arm while at an in home day care (it was a dislocated elbow) and we had to take her to the hospital. It was a small licensed inhome day care. I have very good health insurance coverage, and I was very surprised when my insurance contacted me and said they were suing the day care provider for the ER bill since it happened there. If it happened any where else they never would have done that. Shortly after she shut down her in home day care. I don't know if it was connected, I suspect it was. If I had any idea the insurance would do that I never would mentioned it happened at day care. Just while she was at a friends house and I was not there. I felt really bad about it. I never would have sued her, it was out of my hands.

Anyway my point is, it isn't as easy as just watching someone else's kids while they work.

my health insurance sends out a questioneer that i am required to fill out (or risk them bouncing the bills) every time myself, dh or the kids are treated for a non 'illness'. it asks about the circumstances of the injury and where it occured. that information is then used to determine if a 3rd party is involved and may be liable for all or a portion of the expenses of treatment. while my insurance may initialy pay for the expenses they will pursue reimbursement if it's appropriate. as for me i'm in favor of this because any reimbursement they receive keeps me farther away from that lifetime coverage cap.

 

[CEDmom]

As a homeschooler, I really couldn't say.

Then how about you don't .

 

[Nikel]

Then how about you don't .

Excuse me, geez.

 

[Tink_Or_Belle]

that's horrible...why should the people getting off the couch and actually working have to provide for the SAHM's assistance? She should go get a job if they can't make ends meet.

are you KIDDING me ?!?!?! off the COUCH??? I was an at home mom until this year when my youngest started school...I spent many of my days on field trips with my kids and the kids of the parents who were too busy to spend any time them. I spent many afternoons with all the kids who came over after school because "nobody was home at their house and they were lonesome" I made them after school snacks I played volleyball with them in the backyard. I helped neighbor kids with homework because mom and dad were home too close to the kids bedtime to help out.
I am not/have not been on assistance so I am not offended because it hit home which always seems to be the next argument. I have to laugh though if you look at my time at home before I went back to work and DH's paid time at work I spent way more time up doing while his entire day at times is sitting on his bum at a computer
so refering to going to work as getting off the couch is pretty much crap in my experience and opinion

 

[ducklite]

are you KIDDING me ?!?!?! off the COUCH??? I was an at home mom until this year when my youngest started school...I spent many of my days on field trips with my kids and the kids of the parents who were too busy to spend any time them. I spent many afternoons with all the kids who came over after school because "nobody was home at their house and they were lonesome" I made them after school snacks I played volleyball with them in the backyard. I helped neighbor kids with homework because mom and dad were home too close to the kids bedtime to help out.
I am not/have not been on assistance so I am not offended because it hit home which always seems to be the next argument. I have to laugh though if you look at my time at home before I went back to work and DH's paid time at work I spent way more time up doing while his entire day at times is sitting on his bum at a computer
so refering to going to work as getting off the couch is pretty much crap in my experience and opinion

Not all SAHM's are as involved with you, and LOTS of workign mom's also go on field trips and help with class partys. I (and lots of other working moms) took vacation days to be an active part of their kids education, and he attended an after school program until he was in 7th grade and able to come home by himself, something a lot of kids do these days.

 

[Tink_Or_Belle]

Not all SAHM's are as involved with you, and LOTS of workign mom's also go on field trips and help with class partys. I (and lots of other working moms) took vacation days to be an active part of their kids education, and he attended an after school program until he was in 7th grade and able to come home by himself, something a lot of kids do these days.

and not all working parents are willing to take time off like you are. LOTS of stay at home moms spend time doing more than sitting on the couch watching Oprah and sleeping in. Honestly our town is small and we do not have an afterschool program so I guess that would explain why my house seems to BE the afterschool program (by the way Although I am now working I am still home everyday before the kids)

 

[Amii]

I don't understand how a family can live off government assistance. You can't rent a two bedroom house where I live for under $1000.00 a month. A low mortgage can't be much less than that with the house prices here. How much do people on assistance get? I don't think it is much? How do they make ends meet?

 

[barkley]

I don't understand how a family can live off government assistance. You can't rent a two bedroom house where I live for under $1000.00 a month. A low mortgage can't be much less than that with the house prices here. How much do people on assistance get? I don't think it is much? How do they make ends meet?

it's not much. it varies from state to state-some states pay more, some much less. california has traditionaly paid some of the highest grants-and i believe the max for 3 people is currently $723 (and that's the amount you get if you have zero other income. if someone's working it's being counted against that grant every month-so a full time minimum wage job for one person could result in the entire family being ineligible) but only if you live in what is considered one of the highest cost of living counties. that rate has been in effect since 2004 and the govenor is pushing to keep it frozen with no increases in the next budget as well. an additional person may only cause the grant to go up less than $100 per month (the more people in a grant the less it increases with each subsequent person). some people get housing assistance-but in the county i worked in as well as the surrounding ones, a person could be looking at being on a waiting list for housing assistance for several years. food stamps can help out-but since grants are at the 'high end' in california people tend to get lower food stamps than elsewhere in the u.s.. kids can get reduced or free lunches-but that does'nt feed them weekends or during school breaks.

i can't imagine anyone existing even minimaly well on wages that would keep them eligible to aide-and i would have to think that while the kid's in the op's post example might be benefiting from having a sahm, they are likely not benefiting either from lack of their physical needs being met (aide only keeps people right at the poverty level-a level that is not condusive to healthy eating or other issues of health maintainance), or lack of honest parental role models (i still strongly suspect in the op's example there is a level of welfare fraud ongoing).

 

[MrsKreamer]

snip

 

[BuckNaked]

I think it depends. Childcare is ridiculously expensive and if you can only get a minimum wage job you may end up losing money working. Perhaps a better solution would be to provide the "welfare" in child care assistance. That way, the person is working but still receiving help.

I agree 100% with this idea.

 

[CEDmom]

are you KIDDING me ?!?!?! off the COUCH??? I was an at home mom until this year when my youngest started school...I spent many of my days on field trips with my kids and the kids of the parents who were too busy to spend any time them. I spent many afternoons with all the kids who came over after school because "nobody was home at their house and they were lonesome" I made them after school snacks I played volleyball with them in the backyard. I helped neighbor kids with homework because mom and dad were home too close to the kids bedtime to help out.
I am not/have not been on assistance so I am not offended because it hit home which always seems to be the next argument. I have to laugh though if you look at my time at home before I went back to work and DH's paid time at work I spent way more time up doing while his entire day at times is sitting on his bum at a computer
so refering to going to work as getting off the couch is pretty much crap in my experience and opinion

Of course there are also the SAHM who's kids are all in school and they don't volunteer for anything. I know plenty of them as well.

Let's face it, you have SAHM that do a lot of volunteering in the community and you have working moms that do a lot of volunteering (I'm one of them - class parent, Sunday school teacher, library volunteer etc). And then you'll have the SAHM and working mom that don't do anything extra.

However, until you know all the circumstances you shouldn't judge and make assumptions.

 

[Hannathy]

I don't think you should be receiving any aid-WIC,food stamps, free lunches, etc. If both parents aren't at least working some hours. Yes childcare is expensive-it should be they are important! BUT there are 24 hours in a day. one works days, one works nights. Even if it isn't full time, it doesn't take a lot of hours to equal what is being given away on WIC. I could not live with my self if I was letting other peoples work and labor pay for me to Not work. Staying at home is a luxury just like a cell phone, internet, cable, newer car, and all the extra's that I see so many people have that claim they live in poverty and need me to pay for their kids. You shouldn't have what YOU can't afford.

 

[ducklite]

I don't think you should be receiving any aid-WIC,food stamps, free lunches, etc. If both parents aren't at least working some hours. Yes childcare is expensive-it should be they are important! BUT there are 24 hours in a day. one works days, one works nights. Even if it isn't full time, it doesn't take a lot of hours to equal what is being given away on WIC. I could not live with my self if I was letting other peoples work and labor pay for me to Not work. Staying at home is a luxury just like a cell phone, internet, cable, newer car, and all the extra's that I see so many people have that claim they live in poverty and need me to pay for their kids. You shouldn't have what YOU can't afford.

That's what my parents did for years. Dad worked during the day, and mom is a nurse and worked a night shift. She'd sleep while the younger ones who weren't in school yet took naps, and then from 6-10 in the evening. Was it perfect? no, but it kept food on the table and a roof over our heads, and one parent was always home with the kids.

 

[Crankyshank]

That's what my parents did for years. Dad worked during the day, and mom is a nurse and worked a night shift. She'd sleep while the younger ones who weren't in school yet took naps, and then from 6-10 in the evening. Was it perfect? no, but it kept food on the table and a roof over our heads, and one parent was always home with the kids.

My parents were married 6 months, Dad was a year out of the navy, and they were 19 and 23 when I was born. They had nothing. No college education - Mom just graduated high school. They both worked full time and went to school full time when I was a baby. How did they make it work? By working opposite shifts. Granted, the days/nights they had school I was watched by my Great-Grandmother, but if neither of them went to school they would still be working separate shifts in order to take care of me.

 

[ducklite]

My parents were married 6 months, Dad was a year out of the navy, and they were 19 and 23 when I was born. They had nothing. No college education - Mom just graduated high school. They both worked full time and went to school full time when I was a baby. How did they make it work? By working opposite shifts. Granted, the days/nights they had school I was watched by my Great-Grandmother, but if neither of them went to school they would still be working separate shifts in order to take care of me.

When I lived in NJ I had neighbors who did this as well. He worked p/t for a law firm and attended law school in the days and evenings, she worked a night shift at a bank doing reconciliations or something along those lines.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I am a SAHM and the only assistance we recieve is WIC and LACHIP(louisiana child healthcare program). I have considered going back to work or school, but it is too expensive for either. I could be elligible for daycare assistance but the ones around here that accept that are kind of shady.

So I take this time to do what I can from home to cut costs, and just try to enjoy my kids.

How nice that you get to enjoy your children while the government provides WIC and health insurance.

Why do people in this situation not work? There are third shift positions, companies with onsite daycare.

This just makes my stomach turn.

 

[Nikel]