Rockits - your post really resonated with me.
Spending time with our kids is crucial to us.
Is the £1m investment good VFM - probably not... and although it wouldn’t be a problem financially for us over the long term as we are both high earners
As of right now, option 2 is definitely where we are leaning towards
Glad it helped a bit. All we have done is well researched, discussed and planned. We don't rely on chance although a bit of luck is always nice and welcomed of course. I am not one of life's naturally lucky people so do things a different way.
I agree time spent is key. Sometimes just time can be good doing nothing or little quality but just being there. That can be quality enough in my opinion.
We consciously decided my wife give up work after our 2nd child and she became quite a traditional housewife but also more importantly able to spend masses of time with our kids. To help them, to support them, to help them learn, to play games with them, to read books with and to them, to do stuff with them. We felt my wife has just as an important role to play and see it is a full time job like I have just a different role. Neither are more or less important....both are key to it all working.
I have an office at home and can switch off and have 15 mins in the garden playing with them at any point at any time if I decide. To me that is very valuable and again planned and a conscious decision.
I could earn a lot more gross income working in the city but don't do it for many reasons. I couldn't commute or do a conventional job as I would be very unhappy, would hate it would would likely go nuts or flip one day. We earn enough as we are not extravagant people but this meant a lot of sacrifice and more hours albeit much done when wife and kids are in bed so lessens the impact. However the last few years have been hard and I don't want to work harder or more by actually would like it easier. Financially senior private school would be impossible or push it all beyond the point of worth. You have to ask at what cost.
I think you have done well and should pay yourself on the back. You kids would benefit from a very good private junior school for sure. IMHO the senior school thing is too much or too far if you both will work long hours. What is the point?
Also life is fickle and short. It sounds terrible but we may not be here tomorrow so take every opportunity you can to live for today whatever it is. That quick 10 min kickaround in the garden or a game of netball or anything with your kids when they are.young is massive.
The long term plans are great but at what cost. Spend time with your kids and enjoy it. My dad worked hard and helped give us a good start but IMHO the cost was too great. I am not too tight with my mum, dad, brother and sister as much as I would like. I never had a good emotional bond with my dad or mum and would have preferred it to be different. We all get on and see each other no problem but it is not what it could have been. I can't exlain this too well but I hope and feel we will have better and stronger realtionships with our kids forever. This didn't happen by chance and took work and effort but cannot happen without time. Time and opportunity is key. Lose that and it all falls down IMHO.
Of course I am a fairly inexperienced parent as we all were/are. However I am convinced we are doing a better job than our parents. Which is not disrespectful to them as they did their best. Just that evolution has allowed us to improve and do a better job. Hopefully our kids can do the same. That is the very best you can do and all you can hope for.
I hate waste, inneficiency and have a massive issue with not maximising opportunity or opportunities not being offered, recongised or talent not discovered or utilised.
Option 2 makes a lot of sense to me. We have one life and time is short. Maximise it. Option 2 also allows you to supplement with holidays, extra curricular activity, takes pressure off and changes the whole dynamic. That is our plan as well.
We live a little rural and have a lovely garden and environment for the kids to play, enjoy, explore. Also trying to build a house soon on extra attached land and keep existing house for kids. All this didn't happen by chance. It took graft, sacrifice, planning, discussion and risk. We deserve all we have and then some as we just worked for it and started with zero. However and this is a big thing....we didn't start from less than zero or have massive adversity to get over. That was all the help and start we needed. Some don't start from zero and I massively applaud anyone that achieves anything starting from minus zero. Kids needs to develop some balls or we will have no proper entrepreneurs. We will need these people always. To take chances, to create, to innovate, to amaze and motivate others. Different breed and type of person.
, my girls often take the p1ss out of my secondary school leavers certificate and the teacher comments
