We spend almost $50,000 a year on childcare. It's helped me build the career I wanted.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
mom holding kids
Karina Monesson pays almost $50,000 a year in childcare.

Courtesy of Karina Monesson

I'm from France, and my husband is from New Mexico. We are raising our child in Florida with no family nearby.

Tech Insider : Business
The author and her daughter.
The author is from France, and her husband is from New Mexico. Their daughter was born in Florida.

Courtesy of Virginie Romary

I knew being a single mother was going to be a challenge. The kindness of others, including my boss, made it manageable.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Jamilah Lemieux
Jamilah Lemieux.

Courtesy of Aria Askari via Jamilah Lemieux.

My son and I bonded over soccer, but I had given up on World Cup tickets. An email from a stranger changed everything.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
The author at the World Cup in Houston with her son and daughter.
The author got to go to a World Cup game in Houston, TX, with her son and daughter.

Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith

I told my son to stop playing basketball video games. That idea became a $20 million business.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Technology
Craig Moody headshot
Craig Moody got inspired by his son to create Shoot 360.

Courtesy of Craig Moody

My sons get simple birthday celebrations, like having a family dinner and going to the park. I'm never doing a big party again.

Tech Insider : Business
composite image of the author's son wearing a birthday hat on the left and holding a dinosaur toy, and on the right, a table decorated with dinosaur balloons and a happy birthday banner.
The author chooses to have simple birthday celebrations for her two sons.

Courtesy of Bethaney Phillips

We skipped the usual must-dos on our trip to Europe. I know my kids had more fun because of it.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
The author's children enjoy a food tour on a family trip to Paris.
The author said the food tour her family took while in Paris was much more fun than waiting in line at a crowded museum.

Courtesy of Kate Loweth.

Summer break looked different for each of my children. That's what made it work.

Tech Insider : Business, Climate Crisis, Travel
Girl standing with a floatie
The author (not pictured) sent her kids away in the summer.

Henglein and Steets/Getty Images

I spent $400 a night for a hotel with a famous Niagara Falls view. The best views were free.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author's child on a balcony at a hotel near Niagara Falls.
The author said that she regrets chasing an image rather than an experience during a family trip to Niagara Falls.

Courtesy of Theresa Pickett.

Our World Cup splurge wasn't about soccer. It was about making memories with our son.

Tech Insider : Sports, Business
The author's son and husband cheer during a World Cup match in 2026.
The author said she and her husband are OK splurging to help make special memories with their youngest child since they had him when they were a bit older.

Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith.

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