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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Michael Johnston was making six figures in a remote job he enjoyed when his second child was born.</li><li>He fell in love with <keyword id="23944982" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="full-time-parenting" source="keywords">full-time parenting</keyword> and his wife, a successful editor, was keen to keep working.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Johnston, 41, a <keyword id="23944981" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="stay-at-home-dad" source="keywords">stay-at-home dad</keyword> who lives in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Johnston's financial claims have been verified with documents. It has been edited for length and clarity. I graduated from Boston University in 2006 with a degree in mechanical engineering. I then got a job in the semiconductor industry. The role allowed me unlimited creative freedom and had crazy big budgets. Life was good. A few years into this amazing job, things shifted. The 2008 recession hit, and though I survived layoffs, everything changed. Money dried up for creative projects, and suddenly, I was doing paperwork all day. After my wife Maddie finished school, we wanted a fresh start. We moved coasts onto a ranch in California. I found a new role at KLA Corporation, in manufacturing, with much less paperwork. When my wife told me she was pregnant, I had a steady job with a manageable workload, but I traveled frequently to China, Taiwan, and South Korea. I was grateful for the income when our son Lincoln was born. <div type="image" title="Dad with baby in a carrier." height="4032" width="2268" msid="114981391" hostid="261"></div><h2>The impossible task of pandemic parenting</h2>Like many parents, March 2020 was a very difficult period for my family of three. Lincoln was around three years old, and suddenly my world narrowed to just four walls during lockdown. Instead of traveling and working in the office, my role was being permanently on the phone. I had meetings the entire day and would try to get my actual work done in the evening. Calls from around the world pushed late into the night. At some points, I worked almost 24 hours a day. Maddie, Lincoln, and I tried to maintain daily family life while we kept up with our careers. Now we were both fully remote, so we bought a beach house in Maine in 2020 and left California in 2021. But that wasn't the only reason we were moving back closer to home: our second baby was on the way. <div type="image" title="Michael Johnston and his kids." height="3357" width="1888" msid="114981168" hostid="261"></div><h2>Crunching numbers on <keyword id="21017792" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="paternity-leave" source="keywords">paternity leave</keyword></h2>I fully intended to go back to work after paternity leave. I was making six figures doing work that I loved — prior to the pandemic shift — and my team was great. But over 12 weeks of leave, I fell in love with being a full-time dad. If I was up at 3 a.m. I was comforting a sleepless kid, not fielding international calls. It was some of the best times we'd had as a family. My wife has a successful career in editorial work, and we began examining whether we could afford to be a one-salary family. We'd spent our early career days digging out of student and credit card debt from moving around. Right before kids, we'd finally paid off our debt, which was tough even with two incomes. Moving back to Maine was a major savings opportunity. We streamlined our spending on our mortgage, rental property, two cars, and everything else it takes to run a family in California. We no longer had to pay for flights back, preschool or daycare. We dug into what life would look like on one income, and my financial projections showed it was doable in Maine. We walk the kids to school and don't have a pricey commute. We no longer pay for any day care — a drastic change from the insanely California options at around $2,000 for one child. Maine also has free breakfast and lunch at school. <h2>Deciding to stay home</h2>It came down to how we viewed our work. After maternity leave, my wife was excited to see her coworkers and jump back into her job. I saw work as a means to an end. My future wasn't ever really tied up in my workplace. I'd missed so much of my first child's youngest years that I was determined not to repeat that with my second. On the work front, I'd used my degree for 17 years and accomplished what I wanted to. A week or two before the end of my leave, I set my team up for success and gave my boss my two weeks' notice. <div type="image" title="Michael Johnston and his family." height="1690" width="2253" msid="114981165" hostid="261"></div><h2>Settling into full-time dad life</h2>The first few months were awesome. We knew we'd made the right choice. I walked the kids to school every day and got to experience small moments I'd previously been too busy to enjoy. I did have misconceptions about stay-at-home parenting life. I thought I'd renovate our 1954 Airstream during naps. Instead, I get up at 5:30 a.m., make lunches, have a cup of coffee for 15 minutes in peace, and then get everyone ready for school. Once my oldest is at school, my new mission is potty training. I'm lucky to grab a shower during naptime. I clean and reset the house for the evening, getting dishes under control and dinner started. My wife and I always split the cores, her taking the mental labor of organizing school and social life comms and I did more physical chores. This is now just more official – I manage school runs and all the household tasks. When others find out I'm a stay-at-home dad, they always ask: "When are you going back to work?" Maybe I will, maybe I won't. If I do, I'll have different boundaries. I spent too long wrapped up in my job. We are trained to graduate, get a good job, work that job forever, then retire at 65. I plowed along for long enough. Now I know a corporate job isn't a mandatory trajectory. It was a choice. I'm happy doing something different. Correction: November 8, 2024 — A previous version of this story misstated that the Johnston family didn’t have a car. They do have a car in Maine.

I quit my 6-figure job to be a stay-at-home dad. After leaving California, we could afford to be a single-income family.

The <keyword id="19906063" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ipl" source="keywords">IPL</keyword> mega auction 2024 kickstarted at 3 pm today at the Abady Al-Johar arena in Jeddha, Saudi Arabia. It will continue till tomorrow, and viewers can tune into Star Sports network on television and the JioCinema App. A total of 574 players were released by the respective franchise ahead of the mega auction. Of the 574 players, 366 are Indian, while 208 are overseas, including three from associate nations. The auction will see 318 Indian uncapped players and 12 uncapped overseas players in contention. There are 204 slots available, with 70 reserved for overseas players. The highest reserve price is set at Rs 2 crore, with 81 players opting for this bracket. The largest segment comprises players with a base price of Rs 30 lakh, totalling 320. The first set includes <keyword id="19904097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shreyas-iyer" source="keywords">Shreyas Iyer</keyword>, Rishabh Pant, and Arshdeep Singh, while the second features KL Rahul, <keyword id="20038368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yuzvendra-chahal" source="keywords">Yuzvendra Chahal</keyword>, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj. The overseas marquee players are Mitchell <keyword id="19928915" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="starc" source="keywords">Starc</keyword>, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada. Several teams will deploy Right-to-Match (RTM) cards during the auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), having retained six players each--the maximum allowed--will not have any RTM cards. Punjab Kings (PBKS) hold four RTMs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) three, and Delhi Capitals (DC) two. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Mumbai Indians (MI) each have one RTM. RTM cards enable teams to buy back released players by matching the highest bid. In this auction, the team with the highest bid can increase their offer once more, after which the team holding the RTM card can match the final bid to secure the player. The IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises to deliver high-stakes action, with marquee players and strategic manoeuvres set to enthral cricket fans. A total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have created a lot of buzz within the cricket fraternity. A total of 574 players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names. These players will go under the hammer from November 24-25 in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents, and 318 uncapped Indian players, according to Wisden. Here is a look at all the marquee players who will be going under the hammer: Jos Buttler (England) Buttler is one of finest white-ball batters of this generation, with 11,929 runs, eight centuries and 83 fifties to his name in 427 T20s. A T20 World Cup-winning captain for England, Buttler made a name for himself in the IPL during his stint with Rajasthan Royals (RR) from 2018 to 2024. For RR since 2018, Buttler scored 3,055 runs at an average of 41.84 and a strike rate of 147.79, with 7 centuries and 18 fifties. His best score was 124. He is the team's third-highest run-getter of all time. The IPL 2022, in which RR finished as runners-up, was the zenith of Buttler's career, as he ended up on the top of run-scoring charts, with 863 runs in 17 matches at an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of over 149, with four centuries and four fifties. His best score was 116. In the last season, Buttler scored 359 runs in 11 matches at an average of 39.88, with two centuries. Buttler also represented Mumbai Indians (MI) from 2016-17, scoring 527 runs in 24 matches with one half-century. He won the title with them in 2017. Shreyas Iyer (<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>) Iyer has played all formats for India, proving his mettle mostly in ODI cricket, where he averages 47 and has scored five centuries and 18 fifties in 57 ODIs. In 51 T20Is for India, Iyer has scored 1,104 runs at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of over 136, with eight half-centuries and best score of 74*. During his time with Delhi Capitals (2015-21), he earned a reputation as a fierce young leader, taking DC to finals in 2021. After joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2022, Iyer went one step further and won the franchise its third IPL title, its first in 10 years, this year. Throughout the season, Iyer along with mentor Gautam Gambhir, led the team's aggressive, high-scoring brand of cricket from the front. In his IPL career, Iyer has scored 2,375 runs at an average of 31.67, with a strike rate of 123.96 and 16 half-centuries. His best score is 96. In his last season for KKR, he scored 351 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of over 146, making two fifties. Rishabh Pant (India) The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter is an all-format for India and a livewire on the field. Having proven himself as a man for big stages in Test cricket, Pant's T20 game is just as solid. Though he has scored 1,209 runs in 76 T20Is at an underwhelming average of 23.25, strike rate of almost 128 and just three fifties, his overall T20 numbers are way better, having made 5,022 runs in 202 matches at an average of 31.78, strike rate of over 145, with two centuries and 25 fifties. Pant has represented Delhi Capitals (DC) for his entire IPL career since 2016, scoring 3,284 runs in 110 matches at an average of 35.31, with a century and 18 fifties. He was appointed as the team's captain in 2021 and led them to playoffs in the same season. During this last season, which marked his return from competitive cricket after a serious road accident in 2022-end, Pant scored 446 runs in 13 matches at an average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.40, with three fifties and best score of 88*. He was the leading run-scorer for DC. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) The South African pacer is among the best in the world, having taken 71 wickets in 65 T20Is. He is the part of the SA team which reached the T20 World Cup finals this year and took 13 wickets in nine matches. Rabada has played T20 leagues and competitions worldwide and taken 264 scalps in 211 matches. In the IPL, Rabada has represented Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, having taken 117 wickets in 80 matches. With PBKS from 2022-2024, he took 41 wickets in 30 matches while with DC from 2017-2021, he took 76 wickets in 50 matches. In 11 matches last season for Punjab Kings, he took 11 wickets at an average of 33.81. Arshdeep Singh (India) A brilliant left-arm pacer for his swing and wicket-taking abilities, Arshdeep has represented India in 59 T20Is and has already taken 92 wickets at an average of 18.47, making him the most successful pacer for India in T20Is and their second-highest wicket-taker of all-time despite debuting only in 2022. The youngster was a crucial part of India's T20 WC winning squad this year and was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets in eight matches at an average of 12.47. Since 2019, the year of his IPL debut, Arshdeep has represented the Punjab Kings in 65 matches, taking 76 wickets at an average of 27.00 and best figures of 5/32. The season this year was his strongest-ever showing, taking 19 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 26.58. Mitchell Starc (Australia) A multi-time world champion with Australia across all formats, Starc is considered as one of the deadliest pacers of this era, having taken 681 wickets in 281 matches. In 65 T20Is for Australia, he has taken 79 wickets at an average of 23.81. in 142 T20Is played worldwide, he has taken 193 wickets at an average of 20.59 and best figures of 4/15. After two seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from 2014-15, Starc made his IPL return this year as the most expensive player ever, brought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 24.75 crores. Though he delivered mixed returns during the league stage, the 'Big Match Starc' came into play during playoffs, delivering outstanding spells of 3/34 and 2/14 against <keyword id="19959099" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sunrisers-hyderabad" source="keywords">Sunrisers Hyderabad</keyword> (SRH) in the Qualifier 1 and final. He ended the season with 17 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 26.12 including a four-wicket haul. So far in his IPL career, Starc has taken 51 wickets in 41 matches. Yuzvendra Chahal (India) The Indian spin veteran is the chart-topping bowler, owning the most wickets by an Indian in T20is and by any bowler in the IPL. In the IPL, Chahal has taken 205 wickets in 160 matches at an average of 22.44, with best figures of 5/40. In 80 T20Is he has taken 96 wickets at an average of 25.09 with best figures of 6/25. Also in all of T20s, he has taken 354 wickets in 305 matches, the most by an Indian bowler. Chahal remains the leading wicket-taker for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), even after departing in 2021 following a tenure that began in 2014. In 113 matches for RCB, he took 139 wickets at an average of 22.03, with a best of 4/25. Since joining Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2022, Chahal has helped the team reach the playoffs twice in three seasons. He is also the leading wicket-taker in IPL history, amassing 205 wickets in 160 matches at an average of 22.44, with a best of 5/44. He won the Purple Cap in 2022, his debut season with RR, securing 27 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 19.51, with best figures of 5/40. During the 2024 season, he took 18 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 30.33. Liam Livingstone (England) A T20 World Cup-winning all-rounder, Liam has scored 877 runs in 53 T20Is at an average of 27.40 and a strike rate of almost 152, with a century and two fifties. With his useful right-arm spin, he has taken 32 wickets at an average of over 23, with best figures of 3/17. He owns the record for fastest T20I ton by an England player, in just 42 balls. The batting all-rounder has played for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) since his tournament debut in 2019, scoring 939 runs in 39 matches at a strike rate of 162.46 and six fifties. He has also taken 11 wickets. His best has come with Punjab, who signed him for Rs 11.5 crores ahead of the 2022 season, which proved to be his breakthrough, scoring 437 runs in 14 matches with four fifties and a strike rate of 182.08 and getting six wickets in 14 matches. In the last season, Livingstone scored 111 runs in seven matches at an average of 22.20, striking at over 142 and having the best score of 38*. David Miller (South Africa) An elite T20 finisher, Miller is considered as one of the modern white-ball greats for South Africa. In 128 matches for Proteas, he has made 2,473 runs at an average of 32.54, striking at almost 140, with two centuries and seven fifties. In the IPL, Miller is known for his stints with Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans. His stint with Punjab from 2012-19 made him a valuable IPL commodity, as he enjoyed his peak years from 2013-15, reaching the finals in 2014. After a few years' of underwhelming performances and being benched, GT placed trust in his finishing abilities and he repaid the faith with a 481-run season in 16 matches with two fifties, playing a crucial role in the team's title win in his debut season. Miller is also known for his fine performances in knockout games. In 41 matches for GT, he has scored 950 runs at an average of 45.24, with three fifties in 38 innings and a strike rate of 145.26. In the last season, he scored 210 runs at an average of 35.00 and a strike rate of over 151, with a half-century. KL Rahul (India) A versatile batter for India across all formats. He can open, bat in middle-order, anchor and accelerate. A highly capable wicketkeeper-batter as well. He is India's fourth-highest run-getter in T20Is, scoring 2,265 runs in 72 matches at an average of 37.75, striking at almost 140 with two centuries and 22 fifties to his name. In 132 IPL matches since his debut in 2013, KL has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, even going on to captain the latter two teams. In 132 matches, he has scored 4,683 runs at an average of 45.47 and a strike rate of 134.61, with four centuries and 37 fifties. For LSG since 2022, he has scored 1,410 runs at an average of 41.47, with a strike rate of 130.68, two centuries and 10 fifties. He has never won an IPL title. In 14 matches last season, he scored 520 runs at an average of 37.14 and a strike rate of 136.12 and four half-centuries. His best score was 82 and he ended up as seventh-highest run-getter in the season. Mohammed Shami (India) The Indian pace veteran has represented India in all formats, having taken 448 wickets in 188 matches. His finest hour in an Indian jersey came during the 50-over World Cup at home last year, where he emerged as the leading-wicket-taker with 24 wickets in just seven matches and played a crucial role in India's runners-up finish. In IPL, Shami has played for Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans. He has taken 127 wickets in 110 matches at an average of 26.86. Shami was the Purple Cap holder for most wickets in GT's 2023 runners-up season and has taken 48 wickets in 33 matches at an average of 21.04 for the team. This also remains his last IPL season as he missed the previous season due to an ankle injury. Mohammed Siraj (India) Siraj is a solid all-format pacer for India, having taken 165 wickets across 91 matches, with a lot of match-winning performances in overseas Tests. He is the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 winner with the team. In his IPL career, he has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from his debut in 2017, taking 93 wickets in 93 matches at an average of 30.34. Since 2018, he has been a vital part of RCB's pace attack, having taken 83 wickets in 87 matches at an average of 31.45 and best figures of 4/21. In the last season this year, he took 15 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 33.07, playing a crucial role in the team's inspirational playoffs qualification. (ANI) A total of 1,574 players will go under the hammer in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday which includes 1,165 Indian players and 409 overseas players, all competing for a place in the world's premier T20 league. The comprehensive list of registered players features 320 capped players, 1,224 uncapped players, and 30 players from Associate Nations. Specifically, the breakdown includes 48 capped Indian players, 272 capped international players, 152 uncapped Indian players who previously played in IPL seasons, 3 uncapped international players with prior IPL experience, 965 uncapped Indian players, and 104 uncapped international players. Among the 409 overseas players, Australia leads with 76 registrations, followed by South Africa with 91, and England with 52. Other notable countries include New Zealand with 39, West Indies with 33, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka with 29 each, and the USA with 10 players. Players from Bangladesh (13), Ireland (9), Canada (4), Netherlands (12), Zimbabwe (8), Scotland (2), UAE (1), and Italy (1) have also registered. With each of the ten IPL franchises able to fill a maximum squad of 25 players, 204 slots will be available at the IPL 2025 player auction. The event promises to be highly competitive as teams build their rosters for the next three years.

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I quit my 6-figure job to be a stay-at-home dad. After leaving California, we could afford to be a single-income family.

Alexandra Frost

IPL 2025: What can you expect from the mega auction at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia?

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