I was raised in a quiet suburb in Westchester county outside New York City, where life unfolded among single-family homes and an unspoken script about how things were supposed to go. In high school, we often heard about the “American Dream”—that familiar vision of a house with a white picket fence. That image quietly took root in my mind as the standard for adulthood, stability, and financial success. After college, I wanted to see more of the world before settling into that life, which eventually brought me to Israel. There, I met my wife, Maya, and we started a family. But the idea of financial security I carried from New York quickly clashed with the reality of life here.

The idea to write this came up because it’s something Maya and I are always saying to one another how completely drained we are. Life here feels overwhelming right now. Let’s be honest—maybe true, uninterrupted downtime is a fantasy once you have young kids, no matter where you live. There’s always something demanding your attention. But lately, the imbalance in our lives feels extreme, almost unnatural. There’s never quite enough time to pause and breathe.

In Israel, financial insecurity isn’t an exception—it’s the norm. Most families don’t have the option of one parent staying home; both usually need full-time jobs just to cover basic expenses. Back in the US, where I grew up, stay-at-home moms were common in my neighborhood but not the norm by any means. My own parents both worked when I was growing up as well as my Maya’s parents. Here in Israel, dual incomes aren’t a lifestyle choice; they’re a necessity. Raising young children has become so expensive that exhaustion is practically the default........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)