All Work and No Play

In our society today, we tend to be so focused on working and earning money. Ever since the Industrial Revolution families have spent more and more time apart due to jobs and school. This is not a bad thing at all! Education and work are very important for individuals, society, and the community. However, time apart can damage families.

Back before the industrial revolution, many families would work daily together to provide the necessities for living. This provided better opportunities to create together, cooperate, connect and contribute to the family. Now we have many families that hardly see their children because they have to work.

There are some benefits to having a dual income household but there are also a lot of costs that come with a dual income household as well. Here is a list of pros and cons:

Benefits of a Dual-Income Household:     

• Both have a sense of contributing
• Both feel useful
• Avoid boredom
• Live comfortably
• More money in case of emergencies
• Pay for children to participate in more activities
• Leisure money
• Savings
• Satisfaction of working
• Insurance benefits

Costs of a Dual-Income Household

• Double the transportation costs
• Less time with spouse and children
• Away from home more
• Eat out more
• Competing schedules
• Family role confusion
• Less time to talk about spending and budget
• Make unnecessary purchases because you think you can afford it
• Child care costs
• Less of an influence on your children
• Failure to convey importance of marriage and family values

In some cases the dual-income families spend more money having a second income then they would with only one because of the extra costs of transportation and child care. Granted, there are some families who can make it work with a dual-income. They

plan time for one of the parents to be home with the children or only when when the children are in school. Or even they can work off and on from home. What the important thing to remember is that spending time as a family and working together is so important. It helps to build and strengthen family relationships. As The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." There needs to be a balance in all things we do.