‘My Wife Quit Her Job’

Awake!: Has your wife ever had to work?

Cleve: She worked about a year after we got married. Then she got pregnant and had to quit.

Awake!: Did she go back after the baby was born?

Cleve: It’s funny. After she stopped working, I found I didn’t really miss her money.

Jeane: [Laughing] Cleve never really saw much of it anyway! I used to buy shoes, dresses, whatever​—he didn’t mind. Of course, I always made sure our bills were paid. But if I wanted two or three dresses, I would just buy two or three dresses.

Awake!: Did you therefore have to work a lot of overtime?

Cleve: I remember one time I needed some money for car repairs. So I put in for some extra work. I was working all sorts of hours and making extra money. Yet in six months I wasn’t able to save one penny.

Awake!: What happened?

Jeane: It seemed like the more he made the more we’d spend.

Cleve: The money just disappeared. Besides, all that overtime was interfering with my Christian meetings. So after six months I quit the overtime, and in a couple of months I saved up enough money to fix the car anyway.

Awake!: Jeane, have you ever gone back to work?

Jeane: Yes. Last summer I decided I needed more money, and I got a job working at a day-care center. But I worked for only three months. I noticed a change in my little six-year-old girl. Cleve was working nights and taking care of her during the day. And then one night I had to work late.

Cleve: I had fallen asleep, and when I woke up I couldn’t find her. I called for her. No answer. I checked the windows, the doors, the hallways​—I looked under the beds—​I was in a panic! And then she came out of the closet laughing. I was too shaken up even to punish her.

Jeane: When I heard about this and thought about the way my baby was clinging to me, I began to realize that she was simply starving for my attention. So I decided it wasn’t worth it to work. What money I was making was being eaten up by taxes, lunches, and clothing expenses anyway. So I quit.

Awake!: But still, wasn’t quitting a financial sacrifice?

Jeane: Jehovah God has always taken care of us. And we feel that Jehovah has given parents the responsibility to care for their children. We could see that our baby simply wasn’t being taken care of and that I needed to be with her more. That was more important to us than some job.

Cleve: And again, that extra money really didn’t help us that much. We’re content with what we have. We’re not rich, but we’re not poor either. I see guys on my job who work seven days a week sometimes. I’ve tried it. It doesn’t work for me.

Jeane: I know times are bad, but we really believe the Bible’s promise in Matthew 6:33 that if you seek first the Kingdom, God will provide for you.

Awake!: So what do you now do with your time?

Jeane: For the last three months I’ve been devoting 60 hours a month to teaching people the Bible. It’s a real joy!

Awake!: So you think mothers should stay home?

Jeane: If possible. A grandmother just isn’t a substitute for a mother.