Thursday, February 5, 2009

work or not to work...

That seems to be my incessantly nagging question these past few days. I've known the decision was going to have to be made even back when I signed the papers to take a year's leave of absence to stay home with Luke. Now that I've received the letter in the mail from the district requesting my answer and been offered a position at my wonderful school, I am completely a mess. Bear with me as I weigh out the pros and cons...or just move on to another better blog and disregard my dilemma. You choose (although I would probably go with the second option)!

I absolutely love staying home with Luke. I totally understand that some people aren't cut out for the stay-at-home mom situation. I'm thriving in it. I love that I'm the one who takes care of him good times and bad. I love that I've been here to experience most of his 'firsts.' I love that I'm the one who is making decisions about how he's being raised and that I get to maintain the kind of schedule and order that I'd like in his life. Most of all, I love that I'm the one he gets to play with and snuggle all day.

I'm also able to keep the house tidy (most of the time-sorry honey!) and get the vast majority of the errands accomplished during the day, so by the time Keith gets home, it's family time and we don't have to go other places. 

The economy is not in a good place right now by a long shot. I can't honestly turn a blind eye to this. It's become such a prevalent part of the news and a popular topic of discussion no matter who you speak with. Teaching is a secure position for me, but with all the recent budget cuts and with more on the horizon, I'm concerned that if I leave the profession now, there might not be an opening for me if I need to go back in the near future. With so many people being laid off that have degrees and easy access to gaining a teaching certificate, the job market for teachers is about to be flooded with potential candidates. Although we don't need for me to be working at this moment, who's to say what could happen in the future. 

After considering all this, I'm thinking that another year of teaching couldn't possibly hurt. We could save like crazy to build a bigger financial cushion and even have the maternity coverage to have another baby (not right away) paid for courtesy of the district, not our savings account. I could make the commitment to get to school on-time and leave on-time and just bring a chunk of work home to be completed after Luke goes to bed each evening. I know there has to be someone in the Sonoma community who has to offer daycare, so Luke would be close. I could help get Keith and I in a situation I feel much more comfortable with for the long term.

But then I think of this-

and the argument starts all over again. I have no idea what to do.

3 comments:

Kristi said...

Unfortunately, I don't have any grand advice. This is a battle I live everyday. Even though I chose to go back to work, the mornings are rough and the evenings with her are too short! However the time that we do spend together is filled with quality time. But everyday I see moms with their kids and I think of Ashlyn and how much I want to be home with her. The week is too long and the weekends are too short, the saddest day of the week is Sunday!
Like I said no great advice but just know you aren't in this alone. Just choose what will be best for your family and just know you made the best choice! No regrets!

Traci Tenkely said...

Such a hard decision - one which I am sure you will make the right choice for both you and your family!

Julie Letner said...

Katie, I am long overdue for checking all my friends blogs. I never planned on going back to work after I had kids, but now I am almost forced to go find something. Subbing a few days a week seems to be the best choice for me and my kids, although I still need to get my fingerprint card updated first. In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" the seventh paragraph reads:


Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

I don't know if that helps or not, but it has helped me a lot.