Yup. I remember when I was a brownie leader, and my co-leader said to me (in a resentful, jealous tone) " I wish *i* could stay home with my kid.". I thought about her life - fashionable new clothes and shoes all the time, monthly manicures and haircut and color, gym membership, new suv, pool, packaged snacks, really nice house, dinner out a lot... - and she was the second earner with one child. I had 3. And I wanted to say "no you don't."

But what I said was "well, you have to give up a lot." which is kind of bull, because I was "home" with my first two kids when I was the sole earner making about 12,000 a year - I was able to mostly make my own hours and to take them to work with me and I never felt like I was giving up anything.