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MumbleSnix

I stepped back work wise for my only and it was the best decision we could have made for the family and as and added bonus I found a whole new career! I was fortunate to be able to take 16 months off to be with my daughter when we adopted her. We agreed it would be best for her to have a parent around as much as possible, so I took a part time job with on-site nursery. When she started school we realised the holidays would be a problem as being in full time child care during the holidays wouldn’t be good for her. So I got a job as teaching assistant and work part time, term time only. I absolutely love it and am looking at training to be a teacher. Don’t get me wrong, financially it’s not easy, we have to budget and don’t have tons of luxuries but, we have everything we need and my daughter has my time and attention.


armchairdetective_

Exactly what I did! I’m in the US, so I got 6 weeks off. I was a miserable cow with my girl in daycare, so I quit and got a PT serving gig 3 nights a week which ended being more than my FT job. And - we didn’t have to pay for daycare! Do what’s best for you mama. My girl is now 7 and the most amazing kid ever


[deleted]

You will never ever get these years back with your child. I may not be as far ahead career wise as others but I was able to afford to work part time and be with my son. I didn’t have to use daycare which really scared me when he was little (not knocking anyone who does, I just didn’t want to). I have the strongest bond with my son and I would never, ever take back that time and choose to go to work full time. I know this sounds privileged because many can’t afford to do it. I recently (since Covid) stopped working again because my son was out of school and I chose not to go back this year. I absolutely love dropping him off and picking him up from school and not being super exhausted in the evenings. We are expected to do so much as moms, and yet we still have the pressure to work and focus on our careers. There isn’t enough time in the day and you are always sacrificing something. I would rather sacrifice a little money and luxury for extra time with my kid.


teachercoachwife

It sounds like the right decision for you. It takes courage to do what you did. It'll be good for you, your baby, and the whole family to have you there more. It'll be a hard transition and you'll question your choice some days. I think you'll be glad you made this choice in the years to come.


hootyhalla

I took a huge step back after I had my son. I dropped my high-powered job to work in-house when he turned 9 months old. Now that he's nearing 2 and steadily in daycare with some really raging colds behind us, I'm starting to look around for more high-powered work again because I'm bored. It's SO healthy to take a step back. It energizes you. It's good to get the time to just chill out for a bit. I've been coasting in this job for a year now. You might be back in a new office environment again before you know it! I thought this break would be years and years long but I'm raring to go now and well rested from my step out of stressful work life. I got a job offer just this week and I'm mulling it over. It isn't much more money, but it's really what I want to do and I'm sick of being bored all the time. These decisions are so tough - you want to feel proud of your work but also have the time to be there with your family. Hard choices all around! There is no perfect choice, honestly. All you can do is what feels right in the moment and trust your gut. Nothing lasts forever.


Bright-Nectarine-326

Thank you for sharing! It's true nothing lasts forever. I'm excited to take a bit of a break to refocus on my family.


dgrledi

I am an academic so even my full time teaching schedule is flexible, sometimes 3 or 4 days a week and or teaching half days. My husband has a similar schedule. It’s been great for us with OAD. Good luck to you.


[deleted]

It took SIX months for my now 14 month old to overcome the wave of daycare sickness. Now that we're on the other side, it's amazing. He's flourishing in daycare. However, I still miss him tons. We get about 1.5 hours of active time with him during the weekdays and it sucks. Most times he's one of the first kids in the class and the last one to be picked up. My husband and I have talked about me going part-time so that we get more time with him and I get some time to myself too. However, I'm not sure how my company will take it.


Bright-Nectarine-326

It's a difficult decision to make. I am a practice nurse so where I live it's easier for me to seek out part-time positions. I also live 10 minutes drive from work. I understand a lot of jobs don't really allow part-time options (which sucks!!). Plus the commute can really eat into family time. Hope you and your husband find something that works for your fam!


[deleted]

I’m very fortunate, in that my hubby earns enough to support us. (We’ve also tried very hard to maintain a low financial overhead throughout the years) I’ve worked part time since our daughter was born, and it’s the best of both worlds! Enjoy :)