When fundies self diagnose / Narcissism thy name is Lori

[jerkit]

Anyone else finding Lori's laughter post the most ironic thing in the world? She is the most dreary pessimistic glass half empty person I've ever encountered.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Anyone else finding Lori's laughter post the most ironic thing in the world? She is the most dreary pessimistic glass half empty person I've ever encountered.

It would have been a normal post from anyone else. I've just never seen anything resembling a sense of humor in her writing. Can you picture Lori and Ken having goofy private jokes? Has she ever talked about them laughing together, or goofing around with the kids?

[jerkit]

It would have been a normal post from anyone else. I've just never seen anything resembling a sense of humor in her writing. Can you picture Lori and Ken having goofy private jokes? Has she ever talked about them laughing together, or goofing around with the kids?

Never once have I heard ANYTHING about them having fun. When she described an event she hosted with her daughters and daughters in law she said they got together to talk about marriage. No mention of actually having fun.

[slickcat79]

I see Lori's taking another swipe at the kids that aren't basing their family planning on the Holy Book of St. Lori:

:roll: Get over it Lori. They clearly aren't going to let you control them remotely from your computer. Get off your passive aggressive ass and go contribute something positive to the world

FTFY, Lori :roll:

Also, I can't imagine any of Lori's kids (except maybe Ryan) taking care of her in her old age. If I were them, I'd consign her to the cheapest nursing home I could find, where she would be closed up in her room for hours, forced to eat food she didn't like whenever her carers deemed it necessary, and condescended to at every turn.

[HoneyBunny]

Honestly, I find it easier to imagine the Maxwells laughing (over cheese inserted in a sandwich unwrapped, perhaps?) then an Anderson laughing about anything. I suspect the tension in that house could be cut with a knife. The gamesmanship, the passive aggressiveness, the need to always be right. No, I don't find anything in that house remotely lighthearted.

[Maggie Mae]

Honestly, I find it easier to imagine the Maxwells laughing (over cheese inserted in a sandwich unwrapped, perhaps?) then an Anderson laughing about anything. I suspect the tension in that house could be cut with a knife. The gamesmanship, the passive aggressiveness, the need to always be right. No, I don't find anything in that house remotely lighthearted.

It is my understanding that you meant to say "an Alexander."

Also I agree with you. I picture her being someone that you greet at PTA and move away from. Because she's the lady who corners people to gossip about how someone else is doing something wrong.

[jerkit]

Today Lori shames people who have mortgages. I'm probably sensitive because I just bought a house, but I'm eye rolling.

[Koala]

We work and save up for our dream home. We buy it {with help from a bank} and fill it with stainless steel appliances, gorgeous flooring, fancy furniture and everything else that we've always desired. The new car we always wanted sits in our big garage. Our closets are spilling over with clothes. Every cupboard and closet is stuffed full. We have the latest iPhone and largest big screen TV. We've climbed to the top of the mountain: the American dream!

Most who have reached this mountain top are deep in debt. The mother and father have to both work long hours to make the payments. The children are shuffled to day care and this big, new, gorgeous home sits empty most of the day. Everyone comes home exhausted and wonders, "Is this all there is to life?'

Dear Lori,

Your princess mentality is showing today. My husband and I are what would be considered comfortably middle class. I am a sahm and he has a job with the city. We have a small (read: REALLY small) house, a paid for minivan (definitely time for a new one, because that sucker is a 2003, but it's paid for so....), and paid for truck (also a 2003), and alternating vacations between Disney and the beach. We do Disney every other year because it's a gift my mom has very generously given to our family. The years between we go to the beach.

That said, we stay in this house because we can't fathom paying a higher mortgage, the thought of a car payment makes me cringe, and we *just* finally remodeled the kitchen after 14 years in the house (and by remodeled I mean we did every bit of the work ourselves). I budget very closely and my husband and I both make sacrifices so that the kids get the things we think they deserve (soccer, art classes, nice Christmas and birthdays).

Now, pay attention, because this is the take home message:

My husband coached soccer for many years when our kids were little and a LOT of the families had working moms and were also considered "middle class". Their lives were NOTHING like you described.

Their "dream homes" were just basic houses with basic (some of it yardsale) furniture. They didn't have stainless steel appliances (they had whatever was efficient and reasonable), and their floors were decorated with muddy soccer cleats. Clothes were typically purchased on sale, but about 95% of the moms were like :cracking-up: at the thought of hand me downs or a Mom's Sale (used clothes/baby gear). There were a variety of cars, but most were minivans or suvs with (again) muddy cleat prints, old french fries, and bookbags all over the floor. Yeah, the cupboards were full, because you know, kids= gotta feed em= food. :evil-eye: Let me let you in on a little secret: We don't all set out to raise girls with eating disorders (like some little food obsessed fundie I know).

Some kids did go to daycare, others went to after school programs, and others stated with family/friends. They all seemed fine to me, save for a couple through the years that were kind of...well you know, there's always that one kid.

I will say, I never knew any who left their infants to cry all night, or beat them with

"straps", and they weren't locked away in their rooms for hours a day or denied a decent education because their dumb mothers pulled them out of school and then couldn't be bothered to teach them, but you know...we can't all have the childhood your kids had :roll:

Finally, I never knew a single one who pondered whether this was all there was to life. The ones I knew overall loved their lives, their families, and especially their kids. Maybe YOU woke up each morning and looked at your 4 healthy babies and didn't think it was enough, but again, not everyone is you.

[Koala]

Today Lori shames people who have mortgages. I'm probably sensitive because I just bought a house, but I'm eye rolling.

Congratulations on your new house! How exciting :D

[jerkit]

Congratulations on your new house! How exciting :D

Thank you! Both Mr. Jerkit and I are ridiculously happy about it. Once a day or so one of us will turn to the other and say "I love our house!"

Sorry Lori, we totes have a mortgage.

[Maggie Mae]

It sounds to me like Lori is jealous.

Yes, Lori, I work hard. I have high end items that you wouldn't approve of. I've also learned things. You can claim you are always learning, but it won't be true.

Isn't her husband a dentist? And she stayed at home? So while she was doing nothing but watching soaps and taking naps, he was working for that nice house in California. While she stays at home and ignores the incredibly privileged lifestyle she leads, other women are working to get half of what she has.

And really, Lori? Who cares. It's stuff. Once we die, it will be recycled and forgotten about.

[Koala]

Thank you! Both Mr. Jerkit and I are ridiculously happy about it. Once a day or so one of us will turn to the other and say "I love our house!"

Sorry Lori, we totes have a mortgage.

I'd bet the damn farm Lori has a mortgage too (her own rules never apply to her). At the very least, they did at one point. But not all of us have doctor fathers willing to pay our rent/bills.

You know, Lori is such a proponent of getting married and having babies as soon as humanly possible (wouldn't want to have those ducks in a row), so I really don't get how she doesn't understand that sometimes that means BOTH parents have to work. Not for stainless steel appliances, but for FOOD.

[dairyfreelife]

It sounds to me like Lori is jealous.

Yes, Lori, I work hard. I have high end items that you wouldn't approve of. I've also learned things. You can claim you are always learning, but it won't be true.

Isn't her husband a dentist? And she stayed at home? So while she was doing nothing but watching soaps and taking naps, he was working for that nice house in California. While she stays at home and ignores the incredibly privileged lifestyle she leads, other women are working to get half of what she has.

And really, Lori? Who cares. It's stuff. Once we die, it will be recycled and forgotten about.

Orthodontist consultant. Her youngest son is a dentist.

[jerkit]

I get there are some few, select people that buy a house in cash, but I am absolutely not one of those people. I put a huge chunk of change down payment, but there is absolutely no way I could come up with enough money to buy a house in cash that I would want to/could safely live in.

And not paying for a house in cash does not mean you can't afford the house, Lori. I have a very comfortable mortgage payment.

[Firiel]

I'd bet the damn farm Lori has a mortgage too (her own rules never apply to her). At the very least, they did at one point. But not all of us have doctor fathers willing to pay our rent/bills.

You know, Lori is such a proponent of getting married and having babies as soon as humanly possible (wouldn't want to have those ducks in a row), so I really don't get how she doesn't understand that sometimes that means BOTH parents have to work. Not for stainless steel appliances, but for FOOD.

Because she is both legitimately stupid and willfully obtuse. Everyone is either well-off from a young age or has rich parents who can help them. The church is also potentially an option because everyone should be going to a church whose biggest concern is that mothers stay home.

[Firiel]

I get there are some few, select people that buy a house in cash, but I am absolutely not one of those people. I put a huge chunk of change down payment, but there is absolutely no way I could come up with enough money to buy a house in cash that I would want to/could safely live in.

And not paying for a house in cash does not mean you can't afford the house, Lori. I have a very comfortable mortgage payment.

And I'd bet money that Ken and Lori were absolutely not those people either. It's quite possible that they no longer have a mortgage, but if they bought their house in cash, I will eat my hat.

[lilwriter85]

Because she is both legitimately stupid and willfully obtuse. Everyone is either well-off from a young age or has rich parents who can help them. The church is also potentially an option because everyone should be going to a church whose biggest concern is that mothers stay home.

Lori has mentioned that several times on her blog. I remember one of her fangirls claimed that if anything happened to her husband, her family and church would take of her. Maybe I'm a major pessimist, but I think only a few families out there would be ok with supporting a widow or single mom for years. Churches do assist people financially, but I can't imagine a lot of churches doing it for years. Some churches do have limits on financial assistance. I couldn't imagine getting assistance from relatives/family or a church for years. It just wouldn't be right in my opinion.

I made that thread about the Catholic family that lost their father and husband in a car accident. Close to 300k has been raised for them in a just a few days. I'm now curious if people like Lori who believe that women should continue staying at home are donating. I still wonder if Lori herself would actually donate to a gofundme for a widow or Gleaning the Harvest. For some reason, I don't think she or Ken would actually be generous with widows.

[lilwriter85]

And I'd bet money that Ken and Lori were absolutely not those people either. It's quite possible that they no longer have a mortgage, but if they bought their house in cash, I will eat my hat.

I bet Lori's daddy helped them. I'm not knocking people have raised assistance with home buying from parents or in-laws. It irks me that Lori can't acknowledge that some people don't have what she had and they end up with mortgages.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I didn't get a "paid my house in cash" vibe from Lori and Ken, so I assume that she's not against reasonable mortgage debt, and her comments were about excess debt related to lifestyle.

In any event, I did a quick search and her area is indeed substantially wealthier than average. Lori's understanding of personal finance is similar to her understanding of history: based upon a lot of myths and a sense of what other really religious people say, and not rooted in reality. She's very good about talking about how other people struggled and somehow made it, but she never did so herself. Ken made several comments about how her family had a lot more money than his, and how they'd argue over money when she insisted on her organic veggies and supplements. I have no clue how her leghumpers consider her to be an inspiration in this regard, when she's shown absolutely no interest or awareness in how the rest of the world lives and budgets.

Sure, I could give similar advice about living within your means. I'd probably give actual examples, though, and maybe point out that my sister managed to pay off a mortgage and have some savings despite the fact that they have lower incomes than others that we know. Of course, I'd have to also mention that they eat more than rice and beans, and that she works.

[HoneyBunny]

Because she is both legitimately stupid and willfully obtuse.

Lord, that's a dangerous combination.

I can't stand those sorts of people. You know, the Mitt Romney "Ask your parents for the money to start a business!! :D " sorts. It just blatantly points out what the rest of us already strongly suspect: that half the county has no idea how the other half lives (and most of the US has no idea how people live in other countries).

Screw you Lori.

[dairyfreelife]

Dear Lori,

Your princess mentality is showing today. My husband and I are what would be considered comfortably middle class. I am a sahm and he has a job with the city. We have a small (read: REALLY small) house, a paid for minivan (definitely time for a new one, because that sucker is a 2003, but it's paid for so....), and paid for truck (also a 2003), and alternating vacations between Disney and the beach. We do Disney every other year because it's a gift my mom has very generously given to our family. The years between we go to the beach.

That said, we stay in this house because we can't fathom paying a higher mortgage, the thought of a car payment makes me cringe, and we *just* finally remodeled the kitchen after 14 years in the house (and by remodeled I mean we did every bit of the work ourselves). I budget very closely and my husband and I both make sacrifices so that the kids get the things we think they deserve (soccer, art classes, nice Christmas and birthdays).

Now, pay attention, because this is the take home message:

My husband coached soccer for many years when our kids were little and a LOT of the families had working moms and were also considered "middle class". Their lives were NOTHING like you described.

Their "dream homes" were just basic houses with basic (some of it yardsale) furniture. They didn't have stainless steel appliances (they had whatever was efficient and reasonable), and their floors were decorated with muddy soccer cleats. Clothes were typically purchased on sale, but about 95% of the moms were like :cracking-up: at the thought of hand me downs or a Mom's Sale (used clothes/baby gear). There were a variety of cars, but most were minivans or suvs with (again) muddy cleat prints, old french fries, and bookbags all over the floor. Yeah, the cupboards were full, because you know, kids= gotta feed em= food. :evil-eye: Let me let you in on a little secret: We don't all set out to raise girls with eating disorders (like some little food obsessed fundie I know).

Some kids did go to daycare, others went to after school programs, and others stated with family/friends. They all seemed fine to me, save for a couple through the years that were kind of...well you know, there's always that one kid.

I will say, I never knew any who left their infants to cry all night, or beat them with

"straps", and they weren't locked away in their rooms for hours a day or denied a decent education because their dumb mothers pulled them out of school and then couldn't be bothered to teach them, but you know...we can't all have the childhood your kids had :roll:

Finally, I never knew a single one who pondered whether this was all there was to life. The ones I knew overall loved their lives, their families, and especially their kids. Maybe YOU woke up each morning and looked at your 4 healthy babies and didn't think it was enough, but again, not everyone is you.

And maybe people work because they want a nice house with the best appliances, the nice floors, the good and new furniture the ability to afford new cars when needed, the ability to go on vacation each year and travel with their family. Maybe they want the big screen TV and latest tech items. Maybe some people don't want to have to worry about making payments or paying their bills. With my new job this summer and my boyfriend's job, if we married together we'd be making some really good money and yeah, we would be able to afford a nice house and good cars and a big garage with a large yard and some nice new furniture and take yearly vacations with a family should we have children. His job and mine offer the opportunity to work from home as well so neglected children we would not have. And putting your children in daycare is not the end of the world. My boyfriend and I are educated people. We went to college so we could get good jobs and afford the things we went. He has family living in another country and should we marry and have children, we need the money to visit them and to help them come visit us.

Lori and her ilk may see it as selfish all they want, but like Koala, our children would never experience the childhood Lori's did and that's a beautiful thing. My bf and I have worked long and hard to get the jobs we have and the money we earn and neither of us had our parents buying us new things all the time. We didn't have daddy doctors to give us all. Lori is a spoiled, entitled, and privileged brat who never lost that status and refuses to acknowledge her own status as being in the minority. There's nothing wrong with a wealthy parent helping their children. There is something wrong when the child thinks that's the norm or can even be the norm and can't understand how anyone can't be in the same position. They have that "you can be like us if you worked harder" without any inkling of knowledge that they had it handed to them and never worked hard for it either.

Lori and Ken amuse me in their lack of intelligence or awareness. They are so unhappy with each other and try to tell everyone they are happy all the time and undercut and undermine each other at every turn. Lori says she did not love Ken, she just wanted him to care for her and when he wanted her to work, she sabotaged her birth control and never apologized and is incapable of seeing the problem behind doing that, so that she could stay home because she's too entitled and lazy to actually work. They live in a very wealthy area in a large house and only know that side of the story while refusing to see that most people will never be as lucky as she has been in terms of wealth. She tells others to cut back so mom can stay at home yet we all know she doesn't cut back because she doesn't have to do so. Ken worked a lot and when he did not work, he went off to play basketball with his friends and never gave Lori much of a break from 24/7 mothering. However, I don't think Lori cares much for anyone but herself. I think she wanted help from him, but never got it. But I am not so sure she missed him much beyond that and I don't think she cared for her children all that much either. She liked them so long as they did as she wanted them to do. After the children grew and Ken was moving away from her, she pushed back because can't lose that lifestyle now, can she? So, found stuff that fit right in with their weird kinks and easy way to be passive-aggressive. As long as Ken got regular sex and could play basketball with his buddies, he is fine with whatever. As long as he gets to pretend he's leader all is well in Ken world. Lori will manipulate at will like most of these fundies. Seriously, so much passive-aggressive behaviors from these women need to submit and men lead types, it's terrible. Give someone almost no control and little to no say and they will do what they can to get things where they want it, hence the passive aggression. You will never convince me that's the so-called "best" and so-called "godly" way to live and have a relationship. Not ever.

I wonder when poor grandchild number three is due. Poor kid. Feel for them already being born into this film. We need to free poor Emma, Kenny III, and baby. I hope if SIL Ryan and Cassi or Steven and Emily have any children they DON'T raise them like they were raised by Ken and Lori. I also hope all the children's marriages are nothing like Ken and Lori's as well. They are perfect examples of how NOT to have a good marriage or raise children properly.

[dairyfreelife]

Dear Lori,

Your princess mentality is showing today. My husband and I are what would be considered comfortably middle class. I am a sahm and he has a job with the city. We have a small (read: REALLY small) house, a paid for minivan (definitely time for a new one, because that sucker is a 2003, but it's paid for so....), and paid for truck (also a 2003), and alternating vacations between Disney and the beach. We do Disney every other year because it's a gift my mom has very generously given to our family. The years between we go to the beach.

That said, we stay in this house because we can't fathom paying a higher mortgage, the thought of a car payment makes me cringe, and we *just* finally remodeled the kitchen after 14 years in the house (and by remodeled I mean we did every bit of the work ourselves). I budget very closely and my husband and I both make sacrifices so that the kids get the things we think they deserve (soccer, art classes, nice Christmas and birthdays).

Now, pay attention, because this is the take home message:

My husband coached soccer for many years when our kids were little and a LOT of the families had working moms and were also considered "middle class". Their lives were NOTHING like you described.

Their "dream homes" were just basic houses with basic (some of it yardsale) furniture. They didn't have stainless steel appliances (they had whatever was efficient and reasonable), and their floors were decorated with muddy soccer cleats. Clothes were typically purchased on sale, but about 95% of the moms were like :cracking-up: at the thought of hand me downs or a Mom's Sale (used clothes/baby gear). There were a variety of cars, but most were minivans or suvs with (again) muddy cleat prints, old french fries, and bookbags all over the floor. Yeah, the cupboards were full, because you know, kids= gotta feed em= food. :evil-eye: Let me let you in on a little secret: We don't all set out to raise girls with eating disorders (like some little food obsessed fundie I know).

Some kids did go to daycare, others went to after school programs, and others stated with family/friends. They all seemed fine to me, save for a couple through the years that were kind of...well you know, there's always that one kid.

I will say, I never knew any who left their infants to cry all night, or beat them with

"straps", and they weren't locked away in their rooms for hours a day or denied a decent education because their dumb mothers pulled them out of school and then couldn't be bothered to teach them, but you know...we can't all have the childhood your kids had :roll:

Finally, I never knew a single one who pondered whether this was all there was to life. The ones I knew overall loved their lives, their families, and especially their kids. Maybe YOU woke up each morning and looked at your 4 healthy babies and didn't think it was enough, but again, not everyone is you.

And maybe people work because they want a nice house with the best appliances, the nice floors, the good and new furniture the ability to afford new cars when needed, the ability to go on vacation each year and travel with their family. Maybe they want the big screen TV and latest tech items. Maybe some people don't want to have to worry about making payments or paying their bills. With my new job this summer and my boyfriend's job, if we married together we'd be making some really good money and yeah, we would be able to afford a nice house and good cars and a big garage with a large yard and some nice new furniture and take yearly vacations with a family should we have children. His job and mine offer the opportunity to work from home as well so neglected children we would not have. And putting your children in daycare is not the end of the world. My boyfriend and I are educated people. We went to college so we could get good jobs and afford the things we went. He has family living in another country and should we marry and have children, we need the money to visit them and to help them come visit us.

Lori and her ilk may see it as selfish all they want, but like Koala, our children would never experience the childhood Lori's did and that's a beautiful thing. My bf and I have worked long and hard to get the jobs we have and the money we earn and neither of us had our parents buying us new things all the time. We didn't have daddy doctors to give us all. Lori is a spoiled, entitled, and privileged brat who never lost that status and refuses to acknowledge her own status as being in the minority. There's nothing wrong with a wealthy parent helping their children. There is something wrong when the child thinks that's the norm or can even be the norm and can't understand how anyone can't be in the same position. They have that "you can be like us if you worked harder" without any inkling of knowledge that they had it handed to them and never worked hard for it either.

Lori and Ken amuse me in their lack of intelligence or awareness. They are so unhappy with each other and try to tell everyone they are happy all the time and undercut and undermine each other at every turn. Lori says she did not love Ken, she just wanted him to care for her and when he wanted her to work, she sabotaged her birth control and never apologized and is incapable of seeing the problem behind doing that, so that she could stay home because she's too entitled and lazy to actually work. They live in a very wealthy area in a large house and only know that side of the story while refusing to see that most people will never be as lucky as she has been in terms of wealth. She tells others to cut back so mom can stay at home yet we all know she doesn't cut back because she doesn't have to do so. Ken worked a lot and when he did not work, he went off to play basketball with his friends and never gave Lori much of a break from 24/7 mothering. However, I don't think Lori cares much for anyone but herself. I think she wanted help from him, but never got it. But I am not so sure she missed him much beyond that and I don't think she cared for her children all that much either. She liked them so long as they did as she wanted them to do. After the children grew and Ken was moving away from her, she pushed back because can't lose that lifestyle now, can she? So, found stuff that fit right in with their weird kinks and easy way to be passive-aggressive. As long as Ken got regular sex and could play basketball with his buddies, he is fine with whatever. As long as he gets to pretend he's leader all is well in Ken world. Lori will manipulate at will like most of these fundies. Seriously, so much passive-aggressive behaviors from these women need to submit and men lead types, it's terrible. Give someone almost no control and little to no say and they will do what they can to get things where they want it, hence the passive aggression. You will never convince me that's the so-called "best" and so-called "godly" way to live and have a relationship. Not ever.

I wonder when poor grandchild number three is due. Poor kid. Feel for them already being born into this film. We need to free poor Emma, Kenny III, and baby. I hope if SIL Ryan and Cassi or Steven and Emily have any children they DON'T raise them like they were raised by Ken and Lori. I also hope all the children's marriages are nothing like Ken and Lori's as well. They are perfect examples of how NOT to have a good marriage or raise children properly.

[Koala]

Our children had very few toys and electronic toys. We wanted them outside playing a lot of the time or being creative in their play when they were inside. We watch our grandbabies often and we have no toys. It's fun to see how creative they can be!

Well of course Lori doesn't have a single toy in her house for her grandchildren to play with. That would imply that their happiness had value to her, when in truth she doesn't give a shit. She'd much rather see her son force feed Emma than to see her having fun at Grandma's :x

As a side note, when you combine Lori's rule that her children be in their room for a few hours a day and wanting them outside playing a lot of the time, you get the picture that she probably had a lot less interaction with them than the avg. working mom has with her children.

[Maggie Mae]

No toys for the grandkids? :-(

Growing up, going to my grandparents house was awesome, because they loved us grandkids. I have so many cousins, and the stuff just kind of accumulated over the years. There was always new things to play with, and my grandparents indulged us so much by reading to us, or building us forts, or treehouses. Even a mini golf course for my cousin who was into that (just some tin cans buried and a marker so no one broke an ankle).

[lilwriter85]

I didn't get a "paid my house in cash" vibe from Lori and Ken, so I assume that she's not against reasonable mortgage debt, and her comments were about excess debt related to lifestyle.

In any event, I did a quick search and her area is indeed substantially wealthier than average. Lori's understanding of personal finance is similar to her understanding of history: based upon a lot of myths and a sense of what other really religious people say, and not rooted in reality. She's very good about talking about how other people struggled and somehow made it, but she never did so herself. Ken made several comments about how her family had a lot more money than his, and how they'd argue over money when she insisted on her organic veggies and supplements. I have no clue how her leghumpers consider her to be an inspiration in this regard, when she's shown absolutely no interest or awareness in how the rest of the world lives and budgets.

Sure, I could give similar advice about living within your means. I'd probably give actual examples, though, and maybe point out that my sister managed to pay off a mortgage and have some savings despite the fact that they have lower incomes than others that we know. Of course, I'd have to also mention that they eat more than rice and beans, and that she works.

I also don't get how her leghumpers find her to be inspirational, when she is out of touch on many things they face. I have visited a few of the blogs that Lori's leghumpers have. The blogs I visited weren't blogs of upper middle class women like Lori. One of the bloggers was homeschooling mother whose husband was ex military and it appeared they were on strict budget and that blogger and her husband were also trying expand their family through adoption.

There are many people who are upper middle class or wealthy that understand or at least try to understand the socioecomics and budgets of people different from them. Lori missed that boat when she married Ken. She could have learned from Ken and his family, but she didn't. I do wonder what Lori's in-laws think of her. They might have viewed here as a spoiled princess. But on the other hand, Ken has proven himself to be a bit of a classist.

I don't think we will ever know how Ken and Lori came into home ownership. Like I said before, I'm still willing to bet that Lori's dad helped them with home buying. There's nothing wrong with that, if her parents had the money to help. She will always remain a spoiled and oblivious princess. I still remember those shitty posts, in which she slammed the working mothers of childhood friends. Lori doesn't think deeply and I doubt that she ever wondered how the lives of friends would have been if their mothers had not worked.

As other posters have said here, yes some couples set up two income homes for additional material items or nicer houses. I think for many it comes down to wanting extra breathing room. I have known two income couples/families that don't have a lot of electronics, brand new cars,

or vacations. Both spouses work to keep a little bit ahead and they also work for additional fringe benefits like insurances, tuition assistance, stocks, and future retirement income.

It seems that Ken's orthodontic consulting business has been successful enough that he supported Lori and four kids for a long time. They take vacations, live in a nice area, and they had a nanny for years. Maybe they didn't pay the nanny that much. Lori and Ken have had it pretty good compared to others. Retirement is coming near for Ken. After he retires, he and Lori will probably be fine. Lori knows that, but she probably won't acknowledge that many couples in the age range of 55-70 aren't ok financially after retirement. My parents are slightly older than Ken and Lori. They are 64 and 66. Both are retired. My mom was a SAHM off and on for several years when my three older siblings were entering school. After I was born, she went back into the workforce and worked for 25 years straight. She retired three years ago.

Post retirement, both of my parents are glad that my mom worked because it is paying off for them now. They both collect SS checks and additional pensions. They live comfortably and both will admit they are glad they have some money to travel these days. My mom also earns money selling crafts and my dad sometimes works for my cousin's business.

My parents are friends with a couple that is a few years younger than them. The husband made the wife stay at home to raise their two kids. She did work off and on after her kids were in school. When the couple's daughter had her own family, the wife again quit working, to take care of her grandchildren because the daughter and ex son-in-law didn't want their kids to be in daycare or after-school care programs. My parents' friends managed their money well on the husband income. Tragedy struck a few years ago, when the husband developed an early onset type of dementia in his late 50s. The wife is 62 now and collects a small SS check because of her work history. The husband does collect a good amount of SS retirement, but he doesn't collect any other forms of retirment income. That couple struggles because there are attached expenses with the husband's dementia. Lori doesn't realize or even care to realize that some of her fellow SAHMs/former SAHMs aren't having comfortable golden years. She doesn't realize that there are negative consequences later on for some women who have never worked and have a little work history.I've said this before, I'm not against people SAHMs, if they can afford it and put certain things in place in case something happens to the breadwinners. When it comes down to it, there are actually valid reasons to why many couples choose to be two income homes. Years from now, some of the fundie women we discuss here probably won't have comfortable golden years.