<p>I find the tone of the posts of marite and Bay profoundly offensive. A number of years ago, shortly after our first child was born, my wife left her well-paying job and has since been a professional volunteer (in addition to having a part-time low paying gig), working largely for nothing in the schools improving the experience of the children of people like them, while many “career” women looked down on her. I’m not crying poor–I do pretty well by any reasonable standards–but we have a lot less of the material things than most of the two career couples that we know, and one of my children had to move lower down her college preference list for financial reasons.</p>
<p>Now, apparently, she supposedly should feel obligated to return to the paying workforce even though the way the rules are set up, we would net very little because of the effect on financial aid now that we have three in college. It appears that the theory is that by having our financial aid reduced that money will be saved for someone more deserving. Boo hoo. I’m sad. </p>
<p>Well, I have news for you. They are not my problem. Maybe two earner families should be given a break on FA. We didn’t make the rules, but we (and the OP) are entitled to make judgments about what is right for our family based on those rules. The situation is in principle no different than the financial calculations that some families make about working based on the cost of day care.</p>