Like most moms, the instant I laid eyes on my daughter, I couldn't imagine leaving her. I felt separation anxiety taking a 3 minute "shower"-- how could I possibly entertain the idea of leaving her for a full-fledged work day?
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was a third grade teacher when I welcomed Lacey into the world. My due date was April 5 but I ended up having to take early maternity leave due to complications with my pregnancy. Our little girl finally arrived on April 7th and my husband and I celebrated our luck that my maternity leave would run right in to the summer. I'd get to spend 4 whole months at home before returning to work! Surely, I'd be ready to leave Lacey by the time August came around. I mean, I'd be dying for a break, right!?
Nope.
As the days of summer wore on (all too quickly, I might add), I began looking for new teaching jobs. My husband had recently started a new job in Daytona (about 30 minutes from our apartment) so we planned on relocating when our lease ended in the beginning of August-- meaning I couldn't return to my previous school. As I updated the ol' resume, I tried to imagine my return to work. The inevitable tears (both mine and hers) as I dropped Lacey off at daycare. The hassle of non-stop pumping to supply her with enough breastmilk for an 8 hour day. The worry and guilt I would feel being away from her. I talked to my husband and we decided I'd postpone returning to work until January.
Well, it's January and my return to work has now been placed on an indefinite hold.
Although my reasoning for not wanting to go back to work was mostly selfish (I told you: I'm "that mom"), there is a handful of other reasons to keep us moms (or dads!) out of the office for longer than originally planned. In our household, our biggest deciding factors for me staying home were:
1. Cost- The cost of quality daycare these days is borderline extravagant. Unless you work at a daycare, have a doting grandmother, or a friend who runs a daycare out of her house, it's both costly (and scary!) to find the right daycare.
2. Schedules- As a teacher, my working hours are Monday through Friday, 7 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. On the other hand, my husband works as a poker dealer-- meaning his prime hours are evenings and weekends. If we were both to continue working in our preferred careers, we'd literally never see each other. I just couldn't get on board with Lacey not getting the family time she deserves.
Ultimately, the great debate on whether or not to return to work is one that, like most, will need to be decided upon in house. No matter which way you go, be prepared to make sacrifices. Although we are lucky enough to live comfortably on my husband's earnings alone, we definitely make sacrifices on a daily basis. We don't have a massive home to call our own (we rent an apartment), we don't drive the newest cars, and our savings account is significantly lower than it would be with two incomes. But to me, getting the chance to be with my daughter and experience all of her "firsts" is worth more to me than any amount of money. There will be time to deepen our savings later-- like when I follow Lacey to kindergarten, right? ;)
Do you have any advice for mom's contemplating the dreaded return to work? Do you work at a daycare and get the best of both worlds? Comment below! :)
See you real soon,
Lacey's mama
bn,m nm,.l;/U,hm fnmj <<Lacey's daily blog post (typed with her feet)
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