Put On Your Grown-Up Panties
What the heck am I talking about now? Not panties, that’s for sure!
I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance about finances. Things have been really tough here in the financial department since I became a stay-at-home-mom five years ago. Business has been okay, but let’s face it, working at home with preschoolers doesn’t always accomplish what we hope it would. And now that my daughter will be entering Kindergarten in a few months, the topic of me going “back to work” has been a hot one and I only expect it to get worse.
This acquaintance of mine told me that I should start looking for a full-time job now to prepare myself for the fall. While she thinks it’s great that I’ve stayed home with my children up until now, with our financial situation, I need to get back out into the real world. “It’s time to put on your grown-up panties!”, she said. (Did I mention that she is single with no kids?)
Well, I’ve just gotta say “POOEY!” on that thought. Financial difficulty or not, home is exactly where I needed to be up until now and it is exactly where I am going to stay! I left my career to be available to my children when they needed me and they still need me, even if they are in school.
I expect that with both of my children in school full-time, I will be able to give my home business the attention it deserves and start working our way out of debt. Actually, I’m pretty darn positive about that. So is my husband - thank goodness.
Call me lazy, selfish, unrealistic, whatever. I know what is best for my family. I am proud of the choices I’ve made. So, everyone who hasn’t lived in my shoes (er, panties in this case), can just leave me alone!
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:59 pm
I got your comment on my blog - thanks! So I came over to check you out and found your post to be VERY interesting and timely. I am recently laid off - the kids are still in daycare in case I get called back, but I had been down to 3 days a week since the birth of my first. Now with the lay off I’m wondering what to do and have been thinking about ‘things’ - its just interesting to me how life goes and people and ideas find you at the right moment if you let them. If you’d like to share links/ideas/tips&tricks etc I’m open to that!
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Good for you! Stick to what you believe in. All I can say is that the childhood years go too fast. I must have blinked and suddenly my oldest child is now eleven. Because of that realization - I treasure every day with my three year old.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Everybody should find his/her own particular panties, and then settle down! I’m with Neena, and with you, too — for all the angst I went through about staying home, trying to work at home (and actually make money!) with young children, extreme financial hardship along the way, which required sacrifice and adjustments…it all went by so very quickly! Now the kids are all in school (ages 6, 9 & 12), and I’m glad I was at home with them, glad I’m still here for them now. You have to do what you feel is best, and if your hubby supports you, and you can squeeze by, then it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks. You Go, Girl–