Monday, April 27, 2009

To work or not?

This battle has been going on for such a long time. I never thought I would feel the way I do at this point in my life, but I do.

I always thought that as soon as I had kids I would stop working. My mom didn't work, so I never envisioned that I would do anything different. Time with your children is such a precious thing that you can never get back. Especially at such a young age.

But as the time came for little Nathan to enter the world, financial road-blocks prevented me from not working, so I continued to partake in the working world while also stumbling through the beginning days of mommy-hood.

Fast-forward two and half years later, and I am still working. And I love it. I have two part-time jobs, which (if necessary) can be done from home. I am at home with my son two days during the week and also weekends. The husband is at home one day a week and also on weekends. The boy spends one day of the week with his grandmother and one day of the week with his aunt and cousins. It works out really well.

Though I miss him tremendously during the days at the office, I feel like it makes me a better mom. I appreciate my time with The Boy so much more than I would, had I stopped working. I am able to develop my professional career while at the same time contribute to our household income. I have full days of not working so I can dedicate attention to him.

Yes, I'm still jealous of those who are stay-at-home-moms. I envy the time you have with your kids, and the memories you will always have of this special time. The job you have as a mother is the one of the hardest, most important jobs in the world. You are the unsung heros of this world.

But because I'm not a part of that club right now, I am thoroughly enjoying where I'm at in life at the moment. I have two jobs that I enjoy, a husband who's supportive of this decision I've made, co-workers who are understanding that family comes first, friends who I consider family and of course a son who brings me endless joy and love (and often frustration too).

I'm doing the best I can.

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6 comments:

Jacquie said...

I feel your pain. I have been blessed to stay home some and this past school year I worked part time. But I have made the tough decision to go back to work and I hate that. But I am fortunate that my profession is a school teacher and I get a lot of time off to be with my kids!

SandGs Mom said...

you are doing awesome. You are a wonderful mom, daughter, sister, friend, wife, organizer extraordinaire.

SandGs Mom said...

oh and an aspiring cyclist.

Jenn said...

I totally agree. Being a working mom is hard work but the time you get to spend with your little one is amazing. Yeah my house isn't the cleanest but Zack and I have fun when I'm not working. The breaks from each other are good too. And it's nice when family is able to help out, the get a relationship with extended family they normally wouldn't.

Candice said...

I don't think being a stay-at-home mom is for everyone. Some women can afford to do it and they love every second (or say they do). I think it can be just as important for the kids as for the mom that they get some time away from eachother. Overall, I believe it's a very personal decision to make and what works for one family may not be exactly what works for another family.

Keep up the good work!

Kara (Turskey) Vaught said...

I think you have the best of both worlds. If I had family in town, I would want to do the same thing.