Monday, May 08, 2006
Children and working
Chad and I have been talking a lot about having children. I don't know much about children or having them, but I suppose that neither does anyone when you get right down to it, until they have them. One thing I've been contemplating is whether or not I would want to at least attempt to work one day a week, or something like that, once we do have a child. We won't really need the extra money (and I wouldn't be generating much extra anyway), but lots of people that I work with now talk about how their wives "just want some adult conversation" or work just for the social experience. So, do you get bored or lonely when you're a new mother (or, only have one child) and stay home with them all day? Or is there plenty of work to be done caring for your child that you wouldn't have the time to work one day a week anyway? Or are there so many other fun and useful things you can do with your time with your child that you wouldn't want to anyway? Or would you not want to leave your child with someone else one day a week, even if you were bored and lonely?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Hi Michelle,
Followed the link over here from Ellie's blog. Email me sometime lauratisca at yahoo dot com cause I've thought of you on many occasions but have been far out of touch.
Staying home with kids doesn't mean that you have to stay home all day or that you never see other adults. Now that the weather is nice, I'm out with my boys everyday, sometimes twice a day. We meet other moms at the park, go to playgroup, attend MOPS, go to a women's bible study, etc. I pass up opportunities to socialize and have adult conversation cause I just don't have time for it all.
I have friends who volunteer a few days a week at our local Crisis Pregnancy Center and take their kids along. Others who are active with the YMCA and go there a lot. One mommy friend who is quite active in the birth community here in town as a doula. Another mom I know is working toward her certification as a La Leche League leader. Our church bulletin is put together every week by a mom in our church. These are all moms of preschoolers (3 and under)
The best part of many of these options is their flexibility. I know this works out differently for different women but you can definitely have your social needs as an adult met without working (a paid job, that is)
Goodness, perhaps I need to make my own blog item about this. I've got lots to say.
All the best to you!
Laura
Whoohoo, you dive right into these issues! ;P What a woman! I think if it's fun for you to work one day per week, go for it! If it's not fun, don't bother (duh). I've been researching day care, though (we theoretically COULD live off of Bruce's middle school teacher's salary, but then we may never be able to retire...), and in my yuppie affluent area, most places won't take infants unless it's a guaranteed 5 days full-time a week, 50 weeks a year type of thing. Because they can only have a certain ratio of infants to staff and a part-time infant messes up their ratios and prevents them from having a full-time baby in your spot.
Michelle!!!! Yay! Welcome to the blogosphere :). I've often thought of you and wondered how you're doing.
Well, I've been thinking about this question a bit...after our baby comes in August I'm planning to teach physical science at our church's homeschool co-op (1 hour per week, plus prep)...so we'll see how it works out! (however, I'm canning the whole teach-high-schoool chemistry thing next year. They've already hired my replacement.)
Hi Michelle,
I was going to drop a package for you in the mail today, but John conked in the car so it'll have to be tomorrow. I've been thinking about this topic, also, and may do some blogging on it.
I think some of the issue is that I had been living on someone else's schedule my whole life. Even if I skipped classes in college, I had sets to do on a certain time table. I didn't have to be at work at a certain time, but certainly by 10! And that writeup needed to be sent out by 3 pm on Friday in two weeks - so run that code!
When John was born, it took (is taking?) me a long time to develop the self discipline necessary to be on my own schedule. I am also convinced that the "lack of adult conversation" I felt during my first six months home with John was revealing what a boring person I had become. If your coworkers are like mine, most of the conversation isn't actually that stimulating despite the PhDs and Masters degrees everyone had! Instead, I've started researching certain topics which actually are important to me now and eternally.
Well... maybe I should blog on my own space about this. Maybe in the coming weeks...
Emily
Post a Comment