I walked in graduation in May & now just have my student teaching to complete!
I'm in the middle of my last full week at home with Isis before I start student teaching next Wednesday. I am both excited & scared. I'm also a little sad. I have such mixed emotions about this. For one, I have always been the woman who knew that she wasn't cut out to be a stay at home mom. As much as I adore spending time with Isis, I also have a passion for teaching & I can't wait until the day that I have my own classroom & my own group of students. I also know that we are not at a point where we can prepare for the future & have me stay at home. We get by fine in the day to day, but we want to save for college & we would love to go on vacations & mission trips & we would love to give to organizations in need beyond our normal tithe & have more babies!! Not to mention the fact that a teacher's health insurance would far exceed what we have right now for me & Isis. So there have always been many reasons why I have wanted to work.
At the same time, I went to daycare from the time I was very young. I still have fond memories of daycare & I still have a relationship with the people who ran the daycare I was a part of. My mom actually just retired from her job as a kindergarten teacher & is now the preschool coordinator at the daycare I went to. Isis will go there when it's time for her to be in preschool. I want her to be able to spend time apart from me & become an independent, social little girl. This isn't saying that she couldn't become that if I stayed home, it's just one of the reasons why I am confident in daycare for her later. I have a wonderful friend who is going to watch her in the fall while I'm student teaching. My best friend, Diana is also going to watch her on Fridays. So I feel really good about where she will be & as I can see she's starting to get super clingy to me lately, I think it will be good for her to learn that she can enjoy her time with other caretakers as well as see that I come back when I leave.
Overall, I know that me starting student teaching & ultimately becoming a full-time teacher myself is what is best for my family & me specifically. I know myself & I think I will be a better mother if I'm able to contribute in these ways. I feel so blessed to live in a country where a woman is free to choose whether she wants to stay home or work & where I see wonderful examples of both choices on a daily basis. Being a mom is tough either way. It is really hard to think of being away from Isis during the days, but thinking about our future & our opportunities because I'm doing this makes me feel confident & proud of myself for finishing school & starting in a career that I care a lot about. I know that Isis will be in good hands & I hope she is one day proud of her mama for becoming a teacher!
How do you handle being a working mom if you are one?
How did you decide which choice was best for you? (Working vs staying at home)
What tips would you have for a working mom?
Comments
As for a balancing act, the one thing I can say that has helped me is to set aside designated "play with Little Bit" time when I get home from work. You will always have a running to do list of things that need to be taken care of at work and at home. But remembering how much our little ones need us to be there for them as they grow has to outweigh that list. For me, this can be hard. I'm a neat freak at heart and love to have a good meal always ready. It just doesn't always work out that way. But knowing that Little Bit got time with his mommy is worth it so much more.
I'm following you back. Happy Tuesday!! :)
It can be extremely exhausting, though, especially if you are doing the majority of the housework on top of working out of the home and caring for your little one. I agree with Asashia on setting aside special time with Isis. Also, find a way to balance out household stuff with your husband. I'm trying to be better at not taking too much on myself. It's a learning process!
I was a single mom working full-time for 11 years. It was really hard. I am happily now a stay-at-home-mom (although I have my projects) and I am very aware that that's hard work too!
It really does come down to your own personal goals & dreams and doing what is right for you and your little family.
Kids adapt easy and I am sure Isis will be fine. She still has a good mama who is looking out for the best for her.
Good Luck with all of this.
It is such a fulfillment to mold students mind and soon when they go their own way, they will never forget you. It is a very rewarding profession. So good luck!!!
I talk about it more on my blog, but I decided to return to work because I enjoy the work that I do. I am a writer and curriculum designer. Also, with my flexible work schedule, I felt that I would be able to get the "best of both worlds."
Some tips
-Set your time and commitment boundaries early between work and
home
-Take one day at a time. Trust me, there will be good and bad days. Just pray about it, and you will get through it.
-Plan for your work day the night before. In adding a job to the mix, you will have even less time than you did as a sahm. Plan for that.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: mommyhoodnextright@gmail.com
I wish you all the luck!
-Jessica
~Shanna
http://mommyofoneandcounting.blogspot.com/
what grade(s) do you want to teach?
I know you'll succeed and figure out the perfect balance!
I am a working mom, though I wish I didn't have to be; let me rephrase that, actually, i just wish I could work from home. My passion is writing and I have a BA in English, so eventually I would like to freelance from home, but I'm just not at a point where that can sustain our family.