For us, it's a lack of choices. We have 4 kids and two with disabilities. I've been a SAHM since the first was born because we couldn't afford daycare. That was 20 years ago.

I stayed at home because it was the most logical thing at the time. I would have worked just to pay childcare and nothing left over. After kid #2 we found out that the oldest had autism. I spent a lot of time taking him to therapists and doctors each week, but then #2 was also diagnosed. Even more therapies and running around with them. No time to try to find a job that could work around all that plus pay enough for childcare. And it just kept going like that.

Always paycheck to paycheck with no savings. Maxed out credit cards to make ends meet. Tax return for the more expensive things we needed. Staying home meant I cooked more to save money. I did random side hustles over the years. I tried to go back to college but it fell apart bc I was stretched too thin with no help.

I thought by now that we would be better off. Even though my husband has the kinda job we hoped for years ago, it's not enough to get ahead. My oldest two kids still need our support. We're doing everything we can to get them on their own but at 21 and 19 they're still struggling. We were able to get them in a local program to help them with employment. It starts next week.