PLANO, Texas — A Texas dad decided to do the math and determine how much a stay-at-home mom should make a year. He quickly realized he “can’t afford” for his wife to stay at home.
“Now, I don’t at all mean to offend anyone with this post. I just have to say that for me personally, I can’t afford it,” Steven Nelms wrote on his blog.
Before you think Nelms is devaluing moms who stay at home, keep reading.
Nelms listed every job his wife performs, from cleaning, cooking and caring for their 2-year-old child.
After adding an expense to financial assistant, laundry services, cleaning services, personal shopper, chef and several other responsibilities, he figured the salary for a stay-at-home mom is $73,690 a year.
Nelms writes on his blog:
“In short, I can’t afford for my wife to stay at home. And I’ve tragically failed to show my wife the appreciation that she deserves. She loves me, loves our son, and loves our family, so obviously she isn’t doing any of those things for a paycheck or even for recognition. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to know that as a Stay-At-Home Mom her appraised salary is nearly double my actual income. So in a very weird way, this is my way of saying how much I value my wife as the mother of my child and the one who always has my back no matter what. You are more precious than rubies. And I can’t afford you.”
Nelms said he hoped his blog post would get people talking about better appreciating moms who stay home.
“It was never intended to say one way of doing it was right or wrong. It was simply a reflection of how our family dynamic works,” he told ABC News. “It was meant to show my wife appreciation.”
