I feel very sorry for the parents you mention who are missing never-to-be-relived time with small children. I'm sure with the economy the way it is (claims of recovery notwithstanding), the folks in question feel they must hold on to a job with a good salary and benefits package in order to provide for their families. I'm horrified that people would mock someone for going to a doctor's appointment. Healthy people do better work, y'all!

I've often thought about how lifestyle issues are so much more important to me than being wealthy. There is an invisible line that, once crossed, requires too much emphasis on the job at the expense of your real life. For some people, their job *is* their life. If I were single and an artist, maybe I could see that, but it still sounds like an ultimately lonely existence. I enjoy my vocation, but it is not my life.