I totally understand! I am a single parent who is a public school teacher living in TAX-achusetts! My daycare alone is $1000 a month. I don't know how I'll do it over the long haul. I have a second mortgage and credit cards that are all maxed out. I'm thinking of selling my house in 8-10 years to finally pay off all of the debt. I'd love my daughter to have a sibling but I have no choice - it's either a sibling or food and shelter. I think a lot of people on this forum are financially better off than I am. It took me a while to realize that. I see houses and such that are much nicer than what I have in the pictures of families with many siblings. I've come to see myself as a relative minority when it comes to financial status. But, when push comes to shove, my daughter has been worth every penny. We are not the richest materialistically but we have a lot of love. We don't have a big family but we have big heart. Debt is now a natural part of my life. I will live simply and have yard sales, do tutoring, or whatever it takes to get by. My daughter will grow up knowing we are the salt of the earth. And finally, when I get stressed about the debt, I think about the fact that my financial difficulties are nothing compared to those of the women who face making an adoption plan because they cannot afford to raise their babies. Keep heart and know that, like the adoption, somehow it will all work out in the end.
