Dear Prudence,
My late father gifted me a two-bedroom townhouse with an open loft before he died. It is paid off, near public transportation, and in a good school district. We have four-year-old twin girls and are currently expecting another girl as well. I am a stay-at-home mom but do creative work on the side. My husband hates the house and argues with me that we should sell it and move to the country. He is a nurse and hates the long hours at the city hospital. He tells me that life will be cleaner, cheaper, and simpler if we move to the country. I know he could get a job anywhere, but uprooting our family, getting a second car, a mortgage, and leaving our friends and family frightens me. He also mentions he really wants to try for a son. I really have hit my limit with three children. It feels foolish of us to give up everything now. Maybe when our third is in school and I am back to work, but if my husband took a lower paying job, we could make it work. Child-care and rent cost an arm and a leg in our city. We could literally close off the loft to make a second bedroom or build a shower into the ground floor bathroom if need be. My father just wanted me taken care of. Legally the house is mine. I love my husband. He is a great dad. We don’t argue about chores. I want to support him in his dreams and careers, but right now isn’t right. Now how do I explain this?
— Not Moving