Fatherhood and Finances

I learned a lot about the power of Fatherhood through doing my paper and of finances in a relationship through the lessons and material I read this week.

Fatherhood
Fathers are absolutely critical in a child's development and family relations. For my paper, I found an article by the FIRA (Father Involvement Research Alliance). It was full of powerful statistical insights into how fathers change children's lives. When fathers are involved in the home, children are more intelligent, better morally developed, more level headed in their emotions and more successful in their everyday lives.

Sometimes I think that we are too hard on Dads. Society and the media portray fathers as imbeciles that are commanded by their wives. They are the joking fathers that just bring home part of a paycheck. They don't get enough credit for all they do.

You can find a summary of some of these statistics here. If anyone ever wonders if a father does as much for his children as their mother, now you know. This makes me very grateful I married a wonderful man who can lead our future family in love and righteousness.

Finances
It was very interesting to me to talk about finances this week in class. The primary thing I gained had to do with dual-income families. In these dual-income families, adults automatically assume that they are better off well because they have the supplemented income. The problem is that the equation isn't just husband's check + wife's check = $$$. You have to include the opportunity costs that come with what you are giving up by having the wife work.

Our teacher gave an example of a husband and wife who worked to take care of their family. They equation would look somewhat like this (this was quite some time ago)...

 H    $41,000 (working 45 hours per week)
W   +$21,000 (working 39 hours per week)

this couple then visited with accountants who took into account all their costs and spending and all the money that they accumulated (including opportunity costs) and their income amounted to

= $38,500

The wife was actually paying $2500 to work 39 hours per week. She had not realized the costs incurred through babysitters, daycare, take-out and eating out, etc.

I firmly believe that there is power (and financial power) in having a mother who stays at home and works by taking care of the children and home. My mother had to work so I am not preaching from a "perfect-family" pedastal. I believe in mother's in the home because of numerous research that I have read and the guidance from the Brethren.

Many women believe that it is a waste of time to get an education if you are not going to use it. You are wasting your mind if you stay at home, among other reasons. In class, we also read the article, "Does a Full-Time Homemaker Swap Her Mind for a Mop?" I think it provides excellent insight. We are getting educated for more reasons than to bring home a paycheck. We are raising a righteous generation. It is our responsibility to prepare and educate our children in all ways. President Brigham Young said that if he had two children, a boy and a girl, and he could only afford to educate one... it would be his daughter. We are preparing to be active and educated members of society. We can make differences, even as a "stay-at-home-mom."

The last thing that we read and studied about was the pamphlet provided by the church "One for the Money"  in regards to handling family finances. We know that approximately 80% of divorces are directly linked to financial issues in a marriage. I think these principles provided in the pamphlet are powerful and true principles in all situations.