The Value of Time

Oh boy!

The neighbours are at it again.

After a short hiatus of peace (as far as we know), the arguments have picked up again. This is according to mother-in-law who happens to be friends with the mother of the neighbour's wife.

So what's the argument about? Seems she is unhappy he's not spending enough time with the kids and he is unhappy that the house is a mess and extremely untidy (two young children will do that).

These are the same neighbours who have many side-hustles to make extra cash. Not sure why they need so much money. I would guess they either have a lot of expenses (their son has been enrolled in a private Montessori school), debts, or probably have a lavish lifestyle or all of the above.

So what exactly is happening?

He still has a great job working as a bus driver. Good pension and good benefits are also included. In addition to that, he's also installing home security systems, working with friends doing renovation projects, and selling insurance. All of this during his free time. He also sells tech gadgets like portable bluetooth speakers and refurbishes computers to sell them. Yikes! That's a lot of stuff to be doing during your free time.

She had a job in a daycare. However, the daycare shut down. Since her salary was being used to pay for daycare of their two children, they decided she didn't need to find work. At the time, her mother was back in China, so no free daycare at home. Anyway, she took on a job of buying stuff and shipping them back to China. I guess people there prefer their goods from abroad. The husband wanted to take the real estate exam, but didn't have time. As a result, the wife took it instead. She's now a licensed real estate agent. I don't know if she's been able to sell any homes yet, but she's been picked up by one of those real estate companies (a required for the real estate license along with the annual licensing fee of $7,000). Finally, she and her mother are busy cooking dinners for other people and selling them for $10 a tray. I think they have 4 or 5 consistent orders every day, but now there's a need for more driving for groceries and more time spent in the kitchen.

Put together, that's a lot of work! No wonder they are equally upset with each other. They barely have time off on their own, it's no wonder that they don't have time to spend with each other and with their kids.

When wifey and I have kids (which is soon!), I've made a commitment to myself that I won't be too busy with side-hustles. From what I've heard and seen, parenting is another job altogether. If I'm busy trying to make an extra few dollars on the side, how will I teach my daughter (looks like it'll be a girl!) the value of money or the intricacies of Star Trek vs. Star Wars? If I'm busy with all my side hustles, how would we be able to watch our beloved Maple Leafs play? If she wants to go to the park to play on the slide or jump around in the splash pad, and we're out trying to make money, would her opinion of us sour? I certainly don't want to find out. I certainly don't want to say "Sorry honey, but daddy needs to break his back to earn a few extra bucks so I can pay for our out of hand lifestyle!".

Now that wifey is pregnant with our first child*, I've already spent more time with her and the baby bump. Maybe it's strange, but I've spoken to the little one a few times now. Nothing in particular, just so it can hear my voice and for her to feel comfortable when I'm around. If I was too busy outside making money by renovating or selling insurance, I wouldn't be able to spend the time speaking to the baby.

From what wifey has been telling me (and I've felt this a few times), the baby responds to my voice and is moving around quite frequently after hearing me talk. Sometimes the baby won't stop moving unless it hears me say something. At least that's according to wifey, I cannot confirm this, but it's a great feeling.

No amount of money can buy this feeling. With so few hours in the day, I'd rather spend it wisely doing something that really matters.


*Wifey is 20 weeks along. Due date is in late October. Whoot!