My dear wife is now a stay-at-home Mom. She loves being a Mom, but it's a big change for her. Her career was a big part of who Lucie Janosek was. Now she's Lucie Brain, with a husband and a young baby, but no career, no colleagues, and no income.

Her new responsibilities are formidable, and she no longer has the professional relationships and social interactions that she valued, and that valued her keenly. I'm not saying that's better nor worse, just that it's different, and that usually takes some getting used to….

My darling wife says...

A man is not a financial plan….

This catchy phrase jumped out at me from the pages of my parenting magazine. I was reading an article that was warning stay at home moms about the potential financial pitfalls that women end up in when they give up their careers to raise kids, and I realized, "Hey, that's me!"…. Since having a child of my own, I realize how many stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) there are in our community, either because they don't need to work or because they can't find daycare….

Without being an alarmist, I need to bring up the ugly possibilities that life can throw us-death, divorce, illness, and injury. What will happen to your family if the prime source of income is affected?….