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My wife was a teacher for the past 7 years. She made about $50,000 a year with an MA. Because I earn a good salary, her tax rate is about 33%, plus 6% Medicare and Social Security payroll taxes. Our state has no income tax. So after taxes she earns $30,500. But if she works we also have to pay for child care. That costs about $20,000 per year in our area. So her net take-home pay is about $10,000 per year. At about 1500 contracted hours, that's about $6.67 per hour. But it's literally impossible to do the job in the contracted time. Most teachers work about 60 hours per week while school is in session, not the contracted 37.5. So that brings her net take-home pay to $4.40 per hour.She quit. And she's not the only one.Edit: To clarify something coming up in comments: I include child care because it makes the final “true net” wages so low that quitting and becoming a full time parent seems like a really good deal. The point is that in 2 earner families with kids, a very common situation for teachers, it's not really worthwhile for the teacher to continue teaching rather than becoming a full time parent.

Left wing: education should be massively better funded, and should include child care, parenting classes, family assistance, and community building, as well as some or all of college. This would be funded through higher taxes.Right wing: Religious freedom should be maintained, but only within the confines of church - it should not extend to corporations (that's as far right as I go).Libertarian: drugs should be legalized. Hard drugs in certain zones only, softer drugs for personal use in homes.Authoritarian: no one should be allowed to possess a gun in their home. Any guns owned would be required to be stored in a locked facility and checked out like a library book. These would be extremely limited and all semi-automatic rifles and pistols would either be banned outright or else significantly reduced in firing rate and magazine size.

I would like to add my perspective as a nanny. I have been with the same family five years. I work full time and often the parents have to travel overseas for work and I care for the three children who are now 11, 5, 3. Their mother enjoys her job and doesn’t want to be home with young children. It’s not for everyone. And I don’t feel her children miss out because I’m there with them. I take them to schools and playgroups and pick them up from school , I help with homework and care for them when they are sick, I cook for them and often put them to bed. Someone is with them before and afterschool , and when they were babies I was with them full time (the younger two). The mum is happy In her work. When she is home she makes sure to have one in one time with each child and build the relationship with them. I feel especially the daughter it’s a positive thing to see the mum work hard and be proud of her job , as well as understanding that the things they have like food and clothes come from mum and dad working hard.My mother was a stay at home mother Til I was about 11. And to me I knew no other way. I felt sorry for the kids who had to go to after school care and couldn’t have play dates or just go home relax and have a snack or get the homework done, or know if I want to do an activity my mum can take me. When she went back to work though it was a positive thing for me to see her achieve things for herself and work hard. And it gave me some independence.I have seen other people I have worked for who just don’t want to be home with babies and find it stressful or boring. But because they feel they should they try to stay home and everyone is miserable. I’ve seen the other way too people go back to work because they need money or think they shouldn’t be just a mum , and find they don’t want to miss the early years at home. Each family is different. And many don’t have a choice. So even if we all agree it’s better for mum to be home with small children - not everyone has the luxury. And I don’t think it’s good for anyone if the mum isn’t happy.I love being with the kids especially when they are little. I love teaching them and reading to them and singing to them , I love teaching them to read for themselves and blow up balloons and swim. I get so much from it. And the mum is happy for my to do a lot of it while she works , and she enjoys her time with them a lot more. So I don’t feel they suffer at all from a working mum. But again I know not everyone has a nanny.I also know many stay at home dads who seem to love it also and the kids seem very happy and settled and I think that’s no different from having a stay at home mum or a nanny , having an adult who is there when they are young yes I feel the more time kids have like that the better.Kids are all different. I know families who have an only child who is very social and send them to daycare a couple days just for social skills and because the child enjoys it. I know others who try daycare and the kids don’t settle at all they just prefer to be with the adult caring for them and attend playgroup etc. I’ve had people tell me the kids I nanny for won’t be ready for school because they are used to being with me and not in child care. The five year old went to preschool last year for two days a week he loved it. He is social and confident and happy. And he is thriving in kindergarten. And I’m sure going to child care helps some kids get ready too. Each child is different and has different needs. And sometimes mum or dad want to stay home and can’t afford it.One of the reasons I don’t have my own children is I am single and don’t have a lot of money and I would have to work two jobs to feed any children I had. I would never see them. Or I could stay home as I would want to and live on welfare. But even though I feel most kids are better with an at home parent , it’s a huge cost for taxpayers to provide benefits for people who want to stay home and can’t afford to. It’s not practical for everyone to stay home.The other important thing is that child care can be important it’s a place where staff can be vigilant and discover things like abuse or illness or things that may be happening to a young child that they can’t verbalize. If everyone stayed home with kids there would be a lot of unhappy mothers sometimes with mental health problems and stress and that’s where things slip through the cracks and no one realizes the mum and child need help. I believe children are far better in child care than home with a mum who is too stressed or unwell or tired or doesn’t want to be there. children pick up on that and it is damaging.So it really depends on the family and situation. And it doesn’t have to be a mother. A father or nanny or grandma or foster parent or anyone who wants to be there full time at home for young kids and can afford it then yes that’s great. But it doesn’t always work out the best if the family can’t afford it and then because the mum isn’t working can’t afford medical care or food , or the stress of staying home exacerbated mental health problems , or there abuse or some inability to care for them. Not everyone has the kind of dynamic where having mum (or other person ) home would be a good thing.