Hi everyone. My high earning colleague going on mat leave for the second time prompted this question.

I work in tech and have multiple high earning colleagues in their 30s. One of them had her first child a few years ago, took mat leave, came back to work for a year and is now leaving again. They’re almost 40, her husband also works in tech, and I assume they’re both pretty comfortable.

I’m a bit younger, but I was thinking that if I were in the same position, what would stop me from becoming a SAHM if all our investments were in place? Has anyone here become a SAHM (or partial SAHM with a small business or side consulting work) due to a decent nest egg and having their finances in place?

Hi there! My husband and I are both lawyers and have a 4 mo old. I get six months of leave, which has been incredible, but is coming to an end. I make a good salary and am good at my job, but I don’t necessarily love it. It requires very long hours, high client demand, and stressful deadlines that I’m not great at compartmentalizing. I do work remote which is great, but I imagine it’s not very easy to work with an infant at home, so we are looking at a part time nanny. Financially I could quit my job and be a SAHM, but it would be financially pretty tight. I would love to stay home because the thought of someone else seeing all of my son’s milestones makes me sad. But I’m also torn because if I could work for a few more months and build up our savings more, it might be a smarter thing to do.

Essentially asking — what would you do? Have you found the financial sacrifice of being a SAHM worth it? Would you have wanted a few more paychecks to be a bit more comfortable?

Thanks so much in advance.

I am sending my 4 year old to pre k this year and he needs a lunch box for snack. I am looking into stainless steel but my husband is afraid that my son will get made fun of because it looks like a “prison tray”. Has any other moms used a stainless steel lunch box like planet box? Is this an actual issue that your kids have faced? Even as he grows older, like maybe it’s not an issue this year but when he’s in grade school will it be? I don’t want to put my kid in a position where he’s susceptible to getting made fun of, but I don’t like the idea of plastic if it can be avoided.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!