Get A Grip America

NPR has been running a humanity series which included interviews with people who feel they have financial issues. All but one story intrigued me. One stirred me to comment in this post.

The story is about a man who has a supervisory position. He is married and has three children. He makes a little over one hundred thousand annually.

When he and his wife married and wanted to start a family they discussed the choice between having a two parent income and placing the children in day care or a one parent income and have a stay at home parent.

After much thought they decided the two choices would be a wash financially because of daycare costs and went with the one parent income with a stay at home parent.

Now that the children are older and one is getting ready to enter college, the man said he is thinking they made the wrong decision. He looks at his neighbors and sees all they have. Had they been a two parent income they could have a lot more money to buy the things they want now too.

So here is my beef.

He and his wife gave great though to their decision. They had their reasons for making their choice. We were not told what they were. Apparently something tipped the scale that was important to them.

Now, years later, the Joneses game has hit.

And he feels poor.

Because he can't go out and buy on a whim like his neighbors.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to buy things.
To upgrade what is owned.
To improve quality of life.
To fit in.

He told the reporter they have plenty of money for all they need. They eat well. They celebrate events. They pay all their bills. They just don't have the extra money to do the extras.

This man is greedy.

Had the man and his wife chosen to go with a two parent income and day care in the beginning that would be fine. It would have been their decision. The family would have grown and done well either way.

What they aren't doing well is having a dad who expresses his unhappiness about a well thought-through decision between he and his wife years ago. Does he honestly think there wouldn't have been struggles with a 2 paycheck home? Had they made that decision he would be complaining today about how his children didn't have a stay at home parent when they were young.

Some people can't be pleased.

Now his children and his wife get to hear him on a national radio program whine about not having money to buy the extras he wants.

GET A GRIP AMERICA!

Okay, so it's not all of America. But those who need to get at grip...do it.

This post has been brought to you by the one word: AmericanRant

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