Letters to the Editor
Katmarie
Published Letters: 44 Editor's Choice: 2
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I feel like a freak
[Read the article: The amazing, unstoppable, incredible American consumer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Honestly. I read articles like this about how much Americans spend on *stuff*, how overextended they are on credit, how they are not saving enough and expect their houses to appreciate enough to get them out of any future difficulties, and I feel like I'm from Mars (or at least Canada :)
My family doesn't live that way. Never have, never will. And to me it just seems like common sense, but apparently it is now extremely *uncommon* sense - living within ones means.
My husband and I share two credit cards that we pay off in full every month. Always have, hopefully always will. The month we can't is the month they get cut up. I am so stunned at how easy it is to get credit these days that my big worry is that one day our credit card companies will drop us - because we pay them no interest and even *cost* them money because both cards give us cash back.
We both have IRAs and my husband has a 401K from work. We chose to have only one child, because we wanted to be able to give him the best childhood we could afford. That includes private school from Pre-K to 12th grade, and we already have a college fund set up for him. To do that, we live in a 1040 sq. ft. rancher and drive two cars both more than 10 years old. We are prepared to buy another car someday, and already have a payment budgeted into our monthly spending. We have health insurance through my husband's job but take good care of ourselves in the hope that it will only be used in an emergency. We make a combined $65,000 a year, with no big raises in sight for either of us.
I never felt like we were doing anything special, just living by the example our parents set. How has our concept of success, as a society, gotten so screwed up that people tell me we are depriving ourselves and not living as well as we should? I tell them I am very happy, and they think I'm odd.
If this is odd, at 36, what will they be calling me at 56?
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I'm jealous...
[Read the article: Do you need a sister-wife?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...of the ladies in Michigan. They are fortunate to have friends they like and trust enough to let each help out with the others' kids. I'd love to have friends like that nearby, but as another poster mentioned all of my best girlfriends live in other states. I may have the occasional playdate with my son's friends, but I would never trust those mothers with my child or my home. Their values are so different from mine, as are their parenting techniques, that I will never be able to spend more than very short periods of time with any of them. I have no family near me, so I get it done with just my caring hubby for help.
As long as they are not sharing a man, I say "good for them!" It's a wonderful thing to see women wanting to help one another succeed.
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Not much sympathy...
[Read the article: "40 Reasons Not to Have Children"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...for anyone who "bitterly regrets" having *more than one* child. I can understand those who were blindsided by the difficulties of raising one child, especially if they had been led to believe by their elders and contemporaries that kids are all sweetness and light.
But how, once you've had the one and realize just how hard it can be, can you possibly expect that *more* would be easier or better? When my friends who have two kids tell me how *lucky* I am to have only one child, I am stupified. As if they had two against their will! I'm not lucky, I'm smart. I realized immediately that this kid thing is much more challenging than I had ever dreamed, and there is no way on God's green earth I'm having another one.
I adore my son, but he answers all my maternal urges, and I frankly acknowledge that to anyone who askes "Why only one? If you can handle one, you can certainly handle two!" Maybe, but I don't think kids should be "handled" or "dealt with". They should be wanted and loved, and I am honest enough to admit that while my son is both, a second child would be neither.
If more people were as introspective about their family planning, I think we'd have a lot more happy, healthy children and parents in the world. Especially here in the States.
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You go, girl!
[Read the article: Math doesn't suck, it buys you Gucci]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think this book is a terrific idea, and agree with an earlier poster that said McKellar is only aiming at a segment of young girls by writing about what she knows. Other folks can write about math for girls who "are athletes, poets, on their student council, or love animals." - folks who understand those subjects in great detail and can think up good math problems about them. McKellar shouldn't be expected to do it *all* herself.
Besides, I believe she is targeting a group of young women - heavy consumers - who really need to understand math so they can grasp the concepts of credit, interest rates, compounding and amortization. Maybe she can help some of them learn to spend wisely, payoff balances promptly and avoid massive debt.
I say brava, Danica!