In Previous blogs we have talked about family and gender roles and the importance of parents. In others stress has been mentioned and different ways to communicate to one another. Today I'm going to try to combine the two. The title of this blog is $tre$$. This is how my teacher writes it, and I agree with him.
Money can easily be a high point of stress for anyone or any family. Many families have made the statement “If only we had a little more income we could…”. While money can solve certain problems and having more could relieve some stressors, is the cost of working more worth sacrificing family time?
It is essential to have all family members fill their roles and positions in the family. The Husband and Father role could be summed up with the three P’s of Preside, Provide, and Protect. In the society of today the concept that the role of a father is to preside over the finances, and provide and protect the income of money. If that was the case we would hardly need a Father in the home. He could simply work his life away and provide the funds for the family to function. This would practically create a single mother situation. She wouldn’t need to work, but everything else would end up as her responsibility with no help at home. This is why having both parents present is beneficial. The role of a Father is not greater than that of the Mother, but without the Father role truly present there can be an imbalance within the family.
So if a family desires or needs a greater income what are their options? I will discuss three options. The mother could take on a job giving the family a new source of income. The father could double up on hours or find a second job. Another that would take longer is the father or mother going back to school or entering into a training program to get a better job or become more qualified for the current one. All these options can result in greater income, but what is the cost? First the mother taking a job has great intentions, but with her also working there will be a large increase in spending for her being away from the home during the day. There may be more money made but the increase in spending cost can result in a decrease in overall income, so unless the mother is making a significant amount this option could be more harmful than helpful. Next option is the father taking an additional job or jobs. This option could be the easiest and it guarantees an increase in income, but the tradeoff here would be family time would decrease this can create a strain, and a rift between the husband and wife. The wife develops a strong connection to the family and loses it with her husband because he is gone more and she is becoming more like a single mother during the greater part of the day. And the last option of expanding education or certification for work. The end result is often the most desirable, the father could be working similar hours, and have a salary increase thus allowing for more family time and greater income. The catch with this option is it would be a hard start, the wife may need to take a job to allow for the husband take work off to go to school or vice versa.
The options a family has all have pros and cons, and each family is different and has specific needs. There isn’t hardly ever one answer that is right for everyone. This brings us back to communication. It is vital the executives of the family learn to council together to work out and discuss what their family really needs at the moment and for the future. A family is such an important part of our lives we need to learn how to manage life and family together and make sure to include our spouses in the process.
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