Liquid

So, after I quit my job to stay at home with my son (more on that later), I had to roll my 401K into an IRA. Filling out the paperwork for that transaction turned out to be, for this feminist and former professional, depressing and humiliating.

- "What is your occupation?" Great. I get to check the "homemaker" box.

- "What is your annual income?" Fuck! Big, fat zero.

- "What is your net worth, liquid?" Well, considering that I've spent all of the cash that I saved up from maternity leave and vacation time pay outs - another zero.

- "What is your net worth, with all assets?" Do I include my husband's income? Do I include the bluebook value of my 2001 Jetta with dents and a faulty engine that VW refuses to fix (at least that's paid off)? Do I include the equity in the house we bought together, minus, of course, what we owe? Do I subtract the student loans that still hang over my head over a decade after I finished grad school?

Do I admit to myself, the broker and the world that I'm in the red and on paper my life does not amount to much, ummmm, liquid?

After I got over the initial impulses to either find a job or slit my wrists, I got to thinking. What is my net worth? Is it tied to my income, profession, or my happiness? How did I, all of a sudden, become so dependent on my husband? And most importantly, how did I become a ~~gasp~~ homemaker?