Extra Income Opportunities – Protecting Family Values

Money earned by both partners working is not the only source of extra income for a family – if the money is managed right. Sometimes a spouse will choose to take a second job – usually a night job or a week-end one. This type of “moonlighting” is quite common in certain sections of the country where manpower is in short supply. If a man’s family has been in a financial bind, this, at first glance, seems like a glorious solution. For the early weeks of the new experience, money seems to be flowing in, stubborn bills are finally paid, and the husband feels quite heroic.

This self-satisfying role may not last very long. The physical demands of long hours of work take their toll of even the sturdiest of us. The need for some time to oneself, some time to play, can pile up and burden the sunniest disposition. Most serious of all, the man who works a 60- or 70-hour week has little time to spend with his family, little opportunity to share with his wife in the raising of their children. The same could be said for a working mother. He becomes a “boarder” in his own home and a stranger to his own family. The very values which were intended to strengthen by seeking extra income will be jeopardized.

If extra income is needed, it is a good idea to take a second job only when there is an agreement in the family that it will be for a limited period of time – until the past-due bills are paid – or until the money has been saved for the summer vacation. During that period of time, everybody puts on a big push to make things easier for “Dad,” and to give him the feeling that he’s not being left out. And when the extra income has been earned, Dad goes back on a one-job basis. There are other family values which must be protected.