Posted by Howard Richman on August 12 2008 at 10:54:35:
An Associated Press story today reports that one effect of the higher gas prices is that homeschoolers are spending more time at home. Here is a selection:
"I´m having ´em, so I wanna raise ´em." That´s the philosophy that led Jenna Kagan to stop working when her daughter was born nine years ago. Two sons soon followed, and their mother remains firm in her belief that staying home with them is best.HowardBut these days, the term "stay-at-home-mom" has taken on a new meaning. Economic stresses, particularly sky-high gas prices, have kept many of these mothers and their families closer to home base than they´d like, a development some find isolating and deeply frustrating....
So, like many, Kagan, who lives in Maple Valley, Wash., has streamlined all her weekly errands into one marathon day. That includes occupational and speech therapy for one of her sons, doctor´s appointments, and of course shopping.
Her children stay at home more, too - they´re home-schooled, and short trips they used to take as part of that experience have been curtailed as well. "We just don´t have as much money as we used to," Kagan explains. Weekends? The family now goes to parks more than museums, and instead of going to the movies, they rent.
Even cooking, an activity Kagan loves, has been affected. "I was famous for running here and there to get ingredients," she says. "If I was missing something I´d run out and get it. I don´t do that anymore. I sit down and plan meals two weeks ahead, then buy everything at once."
Kagan and her husband, Dan, try to make a game of their tightening budget, seeing just how much they can save, "so that it´s not too depressing," she says. One bright spot: Dan´s in a profession that´s doing well these days. He´s a credit and collections analyst. "Collectors are really busy right now," his wife notes ruefully.
As for Kagan, who was once a preschool teacher, returning to the work force doesn´t seem to her a practical option. She knows day care would pretty much wipe out a preschool teacher´s salary. And besides: "I´ve always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom," she says. "I´d rather do the job myself."...